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USA Today
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
ESPN has Clemson outside of the Top 10 in their 2025 preseason outlook
ESPN has Clemson outside of the Top 10 in their 2025 preseason outlook ESPN's newly released Football Power Index may have sparked some buzz, but its view on Clemson is raising eyebrows for all the wrong reasons. The Tigers came in at No. 11 overall — and, even more puzzling, behind Miami in the ACC pecking order. Despite finishing last season with momentum and boasting one of the most complete rosters in the country, Clemson finds itself ranked behind a Hurricanes team that just swapped out a Heisman finalist for a quarterback recovering from a torn UCL. Even ESPN's own experts think the FPI got it wrong. 'I think you can argue that Clemson is one of the two best teams in the FBS entering the season (along with Penn State), and it's certainly one of the best 10, so it's surprising to see them in at No. 11,' said ESPN's Mark Schlabach. 'In our colleague Jordan Reid's initial 2026 NFL mock draft, he had four Tigers going in the first round, including quarterback Cade Klubnik at No. 1.' Klubnik's rise has been meteoric. Once a question mark, he's now viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick after throwing for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just six interceptions last season. He'll lead an offense that ESPN still ranks as the eighth-best in the country — but somehow not good enough to crack the FPI's Top 10. Defensively, Clemson is as loaded as it gets. Tackle Peter Woods and edge rusher T.J. Parker are projected top-10 picks, anchoring what many view as the most dominant defensive front in the nation. Yet, ESPN's FPI has the Tigers' defense rated just No. 15 nationally. That's a head-scratcher, especially considering Clemson's relatively favorable schedule. While the Tigers open with a high-profile matchup against No. 12 LSU, the rest of the slate features only two other opponents in the Top 20 (No. 15 South Carolina and No. 20 SMU). Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, and the rest of the ACC trail far behind. Even ESPN's Paolo Uggetti questioned Miami's spot at No. 9, saying, 'I'm having a hard time with Miami all the way up at No. 9... Count me among the skeptics.' Clemson still holds the seventh-best odds to make the College Football Playoff (47.3%) and win the national title (3.8%), according to the FPI — but that's a ceiling far below what many think the Tigers are capable of reaching. So while the metrics may say No. 11, the eye test — and ESPN's own analysts — suggest Clemson should be firmly in the national title conversation. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mizzou Football Omitted from Another CFB Analysts Post-Spring Top 25 Ranking
With Spring camp in the rearview mirror and the transfer portal window closed, college football prognosticators around the country have enough information to begin revealing their 'way-too-early' Top-25 rankings. ESPN Senior college football writer Mark Schlabach released his such rankings Thursday morning. Unfortunately, the Missouri Tigers football program did not make the cut. Advertisement Schlabach listed Penn State as his No. 1, followed by Clemson at No. 2 and Texas, the highest-ranked SEC school at No. 3. In all, he had eight SEC teams - Georgia (4), LSU (6), Alabama (9), South Carolina (13), Florida (19), Texas A&M (23), and Ole Miss (24) - in his ranking, the most of any conference. Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz watches the clock against the Iowa Hawkeyes Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Schlabach listed Penn State as his No. 1 school, followed by Clemson at No. 2 and Texas, the highest-ranked SEC school at No. 3. In all, he had eight SEC teams - Georgia (4), LSU (6), Alabama (9), South Carolina (13), Florida (19), Texas A&M (23), and Ole Miss (24) - in his ranking, the most of any conference. He's not the only guru to leave Mizzou on the outside looking in. Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt also omitted the Tigers from his post-Spring Top 25, as did Advertisement Mizzou lost a number of key starters from last year's squad, including starting quarterback Brady Cook, leading rusher Nate Noel, and their top two wide receivers, Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. However, Eli Drinkwitz and company reloaded by bringing in a transfer portal class - highlighted by five-star edge-rusher Damon Wilson II - that ranked seventh overall. The Tigers (10-3, 5-3 SEC) ended last season ranked 22nd in the final AP Top 25 Poll. If Mizzou hopes to crack the rankings this fall, they'll need to rely on a number of new names to get them there. Related: Mizzou's Not Empty-Handed Following Spring Transfer Portal Closure
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Only one team stands between Clemson and the No. 1 spot in ESPN's post-spring Top 25
Only one team stands between Clemson and the No. 1 spot in ESPN's post-spring Top 25 Clemson got a major boost in ESPN's post-spring Way-Too-Early Top 25 — checking in at No. 2 behind only Penn State. That's a five-spot jump for the Tigers, who were ranked No. 7 in ESPN's first edition back in January. The updated rankings reflect changes across the country following spring practices and transfer portal moves, and Clemson's 2025 outlook is trending up. 'Much like Penn State, Clemson's offense is stacked with a talented quarterback, deep receiver corps and an experienced offensive line coming back,' ESPN's Mark Schlabach wrote. Running back remains the biggest concern after the departure of Phil Mafah to the NFL and Jay Haynes' ACL injury in the ACC title game. Schlabach mentioned that converted wide receiver Adam Randall could get carries along with freshmen David Eziomume and Gideon Davidson, the latter ranked No. 3 among 2025 RBs by ESPN. On defense, Dabo Swinney made a key hire by bringing in Tom Allen from Penn State. Clemson struggled against the run last year, but Allen's aggressive 4-2-5 scheme is expected to raise the unit's ceiling. 'Heldt, who had five sacks at Purdue last season, is another important player on the best defensive line in the FBS,' Schlabach added. Clemson opens the 2025 season at home against No. 6 LSU, setting up a top-10 showdown right out of the gate. SMU (No. 15), Miami (No. 21), and Louisville (No. 22) also represent the ACC in the rankings. Clemson hosts SMU and travels to Louisville but avoids Miami during the regular season. South Carolina came in at No. 13, while former Clemson DC Brent Venables and Oklahoma round out the list at No. 25. The Tigers have now been ranked No. 5 by USA Today and No. 4 by CBS Sports, adding to the growing buzz that Clemson could be a serious CFP contender again in 2025. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame football is highly ranked in ESPN's post-spring top-25
Notre Dame football is highly ranked in ESPN's post-spring top-25 Since spring football across the country has now ended, ESPN's Mark Schlabach decided it was a good time to update his top-25 college football teams for 2025, and thinks very highly of Notre Dame. The Irish checked in as his No. 7 team nationally, as Schlabach noted the biggest spring development was the departure of quarterback Steve Angeli to Syracuse. We all know that the competition is now between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, whoever wins the competition would be making their first collegiate start in the season opener on the road against Miami. He brings up a few other question marks that the Irish might have this fall, with multiple offensive lineman transferring out, along with new defensive coordinator Chris Ash replacing Al Golden who left for the NFL. Unfortunately, Notre Dame took a bit of a hit in his rankings, as they were previously No. 4 heading into the spring. Clemson, LSU and Schlabach's new No. 1 team Penn State each jumped over the Irish. It's interesting that they fell down a few spots, as many of the departures weren't seen as major ones by the coaching staff. While perception does matter in college football, as long as Notre Dame wins the games they're supposed to, they'll be in the mix for another berth into the College Football Playoff.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN downgrades Ohio State football in Top 25
ESPN downgrades Ohio State football in Top 25 ESPN has released its post-spring "way too early" Top 25, and Ohio State took quite a tumble. The Buckeyes were No. 1 in the outlet's initial "way too early" Top 25, which is a pretty easy thing to do given the Buckeyes had just won the College Football Playoff. It's a bit hard to understand exactly what changed for ESPN and author Mark Schlabach between his first ratings and now. In his intro, he describes the Buckeyes as having "lost a boatload of players to the NFL draft, along with both of its coordinators." And while it's true that both Jim Knowles and Chip Kelly left after the initial article, is that enough to explain the huge drop? It's also certainly true that the Buckeyes lost a veritable "boatload" of players to the NFL Draft. But, with the exception of Quinshon Judkins, we knew all of those players would be leaving back on January 20th, too. And while every Buckeye fan loves Judkins and what he did for the team last year, he alone isn't the difference between being No. 1 and No. 5. I have nothing against anyone thinking Penn State belongs at No. 1 for 2025 at this point. The team looks stacked across the board and will be very tough for anyone to beat. I can't wait to see the Nittany Lions visit Columbus on November 1st. But the change for Ohio State from No. 1 all the way to No. 5 doesn't make much sense. The defensive line is a question mark, yes, but it's not a huge issue and not something we didn't know about. Maybe the real answer all along is that ESPN put the Buckeyes at No. 1 back in January as a knee-jerk reaction to winning the National Championship Game, not as an actual outlook for next year. The current "drop" being a correction rather than Schlabach actually changing his mind makes a lot more sense.
