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USA Today
16 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Can Clemson reach CFP title game? Joel Klatt makes bold prediction on Tigers 2025 season
Fox Sports lead analyst Joel Klatt is another prominent college football voice who's high on the Clemson Tigers entering the 2025 season. Klatt, who had Clemson at No. 5 in his post-spring top 25 rankings in May and named Cade Klubnik the top quarterback in the nation entering 2025, offered fresh praise for the Tigers and coach Dabo Swinney on Monday. In a "College Football Stock Watch" segment on his popular video podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast," Klatt called Clemson the No. 1 team he was buying stock in heading into the new season. Klatt explained why he's so high on the Tigers with only six Saturdays remaining until the season begins. 'Clemson is just really, really good,' Klatt says of Tigers "Clemson is just really, really good. I think they're going to have an outstanding year," Klatt reiterated Monday. "They finished with 10 (wins) last year, snuck into the playoffs. They beat SMU in that championship game, gave Texas everything they could handle. Dabo seems to have, like, this confidence back." "They bring back 16 starters from last year's group," Klatt continued. "Klubnik is back. Third season as a starter, third season with his offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley. Four returning starters on the offensive line. They're going to be seniors. I think the real question is running back. Gideon Davidson is a guy that's a top five running back. He will be a true freshman. I think he could have an impact for them." Klatt shifted to the Tigers' defense and highlighted first-year defensive coordinator Tom Allen. "Defense: loaded. Going to be one of the best defenses in the entire country," Klatt said. "New defensive coordinator, Tom Allen, he's in at DC after coming in from Penn State. They've got T.J. Parker, they've got Peter Woods, they've got Avieon Terrell at corner, Sammy Brown (at linebacker)." Klatt believes 'loaded' Clemson could reach CFP title game Klatt said that he was "toying" with the idea of naming Clemson a preseason pick to reach the national championship game in Miami. "This is a team that will, for sure, be in the playoff and I think could make a deep run. I'll be pretty surprised if this is not a team in the (CFP) semifinals. And you know what? I'm toying around with, in my bracket, putting them as a team playing for the national championship. We'll just see who they play. I think Clemson is going to be incredible and again, trending upward from last season." Klatt shares the belief held by many that the Tigers' schedule sets up nicely and that their toughest games come at the beginning and end of the regular season. "This team is going to be loaded, and it's not a very difficult schedule. You could make a strong argument that their two most difficult games are non-conference games. They're going to have LSU in the opener, and they're going to have South Carolina (Nov. 29). I think both of those are tougher than any game they have on the rest of their schedule. "In the ACC, they don't play Miami. They get SMU at home. They have road games at Georgia Tech and Louisville, so I think the toughest games are ... LSU, that's at home, Georgia Tech that's on the road, SMU at home, at Louisville, and then at South Carolina. Klatt names North Carolina, Bill Belichick as 2025 college football 'buy' Klatt's segment, featuring five teams he was buying and five he was selling for 2025, included the North Carolina Tar Heels, who Clemson will visit on Oct. 4 in Chapel Hill. While he admits to waffling a bit on UNC, Klatt said there were two reasons he ultimately decided to buy in on the Tar Heels and first-year coach Bill Belichick: "trust and schedule." "My (final) buy is North Carolina because I trust their coach, and they play a really favorable schedule," Klatt said before adding, "This team has a lot of transfers and it's really difficult to project what this roster is going to do. So again, this is more of a bet on Bill Belichick. "I don't think Bill Belichick cares what all the noise is this offseason. I really don't... I think he cares about getting this roster, the team, the players, to believe that they can go out there and just do their job. If you do that, in that conference against that schedule, I don't think anyone is running away from them. So there's a good chance that this is a team that's going to be in a lot of games that they play." Klatt praised UNC transfer quarterback Gio Lopez from South Alabama. "Bill, along with guys like Nick Saban, will talk a lot about the fact that more games are lost in college football than won," Klatt said. "So it's not that you've got to go out there and be better than everybody. It's just that you've got to go out there and not beat yourself. You've got to be better than you. He understands that and in a lot of ways, that was The Patriot Way: don't make mistakes, be methodical. "That's my reason for optimism, I think he can convince this roster to do that and if he does, they will be in and probably win a lot more games than you anticipate this next season." Clemson football schedule 2025 Clemson opens the 2025 season against the LSU Tigers at Memorial Stadium in prime time on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ABC. All times Eastern. 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
2 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Where LSU football ranks among most valuable programs in college football
LSU football was ranked inside the top 10 of college football program valuations by The Athletic's Matt Baker. He analyzed how much Power Four teams would sell for as if they were professional franchises. The Tigers checked in at No. 10 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC with a projected price of $1.23 billion. The team rakes in $102.9 million in revenue on average annually. "Although we'd value the Tigers somewhere below the Texas-Alabama tier but above the Tennessees and Oklahomas, their average football revenue was only 13th nationally. LSU's overall athletic department revenue was in the 8-10 range, which gave us more confidence in our ranking and price," Baker said. As the landscape of college football continues to evolve, athletic departments will continue to search for additional revenue sources to fund expanded operations related to compensating players. 2024 was the first year the NCAA permitted schools to have advertisements on the field during football games. LSU recently sought approval from the NCAA to sell jersey patch advertisements for its uniforms of each sport and projects "multiple millions of dollars a year" in revenue. Here are the top 10 program valuations among Power Four college football teams.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn football to play Middle Tennessee during 2027 season
Auburn and Middle Tennessee will meet for the first time in history in 2027. Auburn football added another opponent to its 2027 schedule this week. According to Middle Tennessee State athletics, Auburn will host Middle Tennessee for a non-conference game on Sept. 11, 2027, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be the second against a team from Conference USA that season, as the Tigers will host FBS newcomer Missouri State one week before its date with the Blue Raiders. The 2027 game will be the first between the Tigers and Blue Raiders. It also has the potential to be a reunion of sorts for Middle Tennessee head coach Derek Mason, who served as defensive coordinator for Auburn during the 2021 season, the first season of the Bryan Harsin era. Although it will be Auburn's first meeting with Middle Tennessee, the Tigers are no strangers to the competition that Conference USA brings. Auburn is 20-1-1 against current Conference USA teams according to Winsipedia, playing at least one game against Jax State, Western Kentucky, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Louisiana Tech. Auburn owns a 12-0-1 record over Louisiana Tech, and is 3-0 against Western Kentucky, their two most-played teams from the conference. Auburn is 1-0 all-time against Jax State, and is scheduled to play the Gamecocks in 2026 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn's lone loss to a C-USA squad came in 2023, when Diego Pavia and New Mexico State dismantled the Tigers, 31-10, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. On the other hand, Middle Tennessee has played 14 teams from the SEC and is 4-44 all-time against current members of the league. Once the Blue Raiders cross Auburn off their list in 2027, they will need to schedule a game with Texas to complete their SEC run. According to Auburn will face Baylor, Jax State, and Southern Miss as part of its non-conference schedule in 2026, and will face North Alabama in 2028. The Tigers continue to hunt for a Power Four non-conference game for 2027, as its series with UCLA scheduled for 2027 and 2028 was canceled last July. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter@TaylorJones__
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
College Football Stock Watch: Teams Joel Klatt Is Buying, Selling Stock in for 2025
College Football College Football Stock Watch: Teams Joel Klatt Is Buying, Selling Stock in for 2025 Published Jul. 22, 2025 12:09 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link August is right around the corner, which means college football is very close to being back. With the 2025 season inching closer, I'm entering preview mode. In my first of many previews for the upcoming season, I want to share which teams I'm buying and selling stock in. I want to emphasize that this exercise is only focused on this season. Some of these teams I might feel good about in the long run, but they might take a step back in 2025. The way I've put this list together is that the teams higher up are the ones I'm either buying or selling the most stock in, while it's the opposite for the teams at the bottom. Let's get to it. Clemson: Buy Clemson is just really, really good, and I think the Tigers are going to have an outstanding year. They had 10 wins in 2024, sneaking into the College Football Playoff after beating SMU in the ACC Championship Game. Clemson really gave Texas all it could handle in the CFP. Dabo Swinney seems to have his confidence back. Quarterback Cade Klubnik is one of 16 returning starters, and he's in his third year of working with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The real question for Clemson is at running back. Gideon Davidson has a chance to make a real impact as a top-five back in the 2025 recruiting class. ADVERTISEMENT The Tigers' defense is loaded and should be one of the best in the country. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen just had a strong year at Penn State. T.J. Parker and Peter Woods are among the top defensive linemen in the country. Cade Klubnik returned to Clemson after helping the Tigers reach the CFP in 2024. (Photo by) Clemson also doesn't have a difficult schedule. Its games against LSU and South Carolina are its toughest games on the schedule, as it avoids Miami (Fla.) in the conference slate. This is a team that will be in the CFP, and I wouldn't be surprised if it plays in the national championship. Tennessee: Sell Tennessee's averaged over 10 wins over the past three seasons, but I can see it taking a step back in 2025. I don't love the quarterback situation. Losing a QB that late in the spring isn't great, no matter how you slice it. It had to get Joey Aguilar, who UCLA initially brought in from Appalachian State this offseason before getting Nico Iamaleava. Josh Heupel's system also puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback due to the wide receiver choice routes and constant downfield throwing. Can Aguilar handle that? He led the nation in interceptions last year (14), which is a problem. Tennessee also must replace SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson and four starters along the offensive line. Plus, its wide receiver group is young. The defense should be fine, at least, and its schedule is reasonable by SEC standards. I'm projecting a September loss against Georgia. I think Tennessee will be 5-1 going into its October matchup against Alabama, but Tennessee's schedule gets tougher from that point on. I believe in Tennessee in the long term, but this season might be difficult. Michigan: Buy Think about the way Michigan ended its season — becoming one of the rare teams to feel good about winning a bowl game today. Michigan, easily, had the best final month of the season of any team in the country, getting wins over Ohio State and Alabama. Its defense was outstanding as well, holding the best scoring defense in the country over its final four games. Something happened with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale as his first season at Michigan progressed. If the Wolverines can get any offensive contribution from Bryce Underwood or whoever at quarterback, this team should be drastically better. Remember, this was an eight-win team with an offense that couldn't throw the ball at all. In fact, the only teams it was better than at passing were the academies. That's a problem. Bryce Underwood could be Michigan's answer at quarterback this season and the foreseeable future. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) Michigan is still going to want to run the ball. Jordan Marshall's a guy they really like in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines brought in Justice Haynes from Alabama. I have questions about the offensive line, though, but the defense should be excellent again, and it might have a top-two defense in the country alongside Clemson. In terms of its schedule, Michigan doesn't have to play Penn State, Oregon, Illinois, Indiana or Iowa. If it wins at Oklahoma in Week 2, nothing looks daunting for Michigan. I think this is a bounce-back year for Michigan. Wisconsin: Sell Wisconsin lost its last five games last season, going 5-7. That snapped a streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons. It has tried to change its identity under head coach Luke Fickell, which is dangerous considering the success it had for over two decades. Fickell is an outstanding coach, and I'm hoping this works out for him. Wisconsin might be a better team from a roster standpoint this season than it was last year. I'm just not sure that it shows up in the results. This is one of the most difficult schedules in the country. It has games at Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Indiana, while also hosting Ohio State and Illinois. It could be underdogs in nine of its 12 games this season. You can say that the transfer additions and coaching changes will make Wisconsin better this season. That might be true, but you still have to be better than the teams on your schedule — and that schedule is really brutal. You can't make those changes and expect you're going to develop your way out of it with that schedule. Utah: Buy Last year was a rare losing season for Kyle Whittingham. Utah's 2024 campaign got absolutely wrecked by injuries, finishing 5-7. It also went 1-5 in one-score games. I've got to believe that's going to turn around. Jason Beck was hired as offensive coordinator after holding the same role at New Mexico, bringing his quarterback, Devon Dampier, with him. From all the reports I've heard, Dampier can really run (he rushed for over 1,100 yards last year), but he does need to improve his passing. That isn't a new thing for Utah, though, and it has found success in the past without a dynamic passing game. When you have a running quarterback, you need a strong offensive line. Luckily for Utah, it is returning all five of its starting offensive linemen from last year. That includes offensive tackle Spencer Fano, who could be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Utah's defense is always fine as well. It was a top-25 defense last season despite everything that happened, and Morgan Scalley is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country. When you lay all of this out, Utah should be an eight-win, nine-win or even 10-win team. It wouldn't surprise me if it competes for a Big 12 title. Syracuse: Sell The Orange had a great year in 2024, with everything seemingly falling into place. Kyle McCord and Co. was terrific, holding the No. 1 passing attack in the country. Syracuse had that huge win over Miami at the end of the regular season, helping it get to 10 wins. Now, Syracuse is tasked with replacing McCord and all those players. On top of that, it has to deal with a more difficult schedule this year than it faced last year. Fran Brown has done a great job with roster building as head coach, but it's hard to find that path for him and the Orange to replicate last season's success. He has got to replace a total of 15 starters — at quarterback, running back (I thought LeQuint Allen was one of the most underrated backs in the country), wide receivers and tight end. Fran Brown had a strong first season at Syracuse thanks to quarterback Kyle McCord, winning the Holiday Bowl. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) As for the schedule, all six of Syracuse's games away from home are tough. It has games at Tennessee (in Atlanta), Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame. For those reasons, I think Syracuse is an easy sell for this season. Washington: Buy This is one that might be a bit under the radar, but I love Jedd Fisch's track record. He basically had to replace the entirety of Washington's roster last year after going 6-7 and losing the national championship in the season prior. Washington should pop this year. I'm not sure if enough people are paying attention to what's going on in Seattle. The Huskies' quarterback, running back and wide receiver trio is up there with any other team in the Big Ten. Demond Williams showed he can be special, posting over 400 total yards and five total touchdowns in the Sun Bowl, which was his second career start. Jonah Coleman is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten, and Denzel Boston is a true No. 1 on the outside. Those three guys give you a chance. The offensive line needs to be better, but Washington brought in some players to try and fix that. Denzel Boston was one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten in 2024. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) I love what Fisch has done defensively. Ryan Walters was brought in to be Washington's defensive coordinator, and I think he's a great defensive mind. Fisch was able to get some defensive standouts from Arizona in the portal, too. In terms of its schedule, Washington gets three of its four toughest opponents (Ohio State, Illinois, Oregon) at home. Even with its struggles last season, Washington was able to keep its 20-game home winning streak alive last season. That's the second-longest such streak in the country, behind only Georgia. I think Washington wins at least one, if not two of those games. BYU: Sell This was an easy sell with everything that went on this summer with quarterback Jake Retzlaff. After getting out to a 9-0 start last season, there was some concern about how good BYU would be in 2025 due to the talent it lost defensively. Those who were bullish on BYU thought Retzlaff could help make up for those losses, but he transferred due to off-field matters. I love BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. This isn't indicative of him. Rather, it's just terrible timing at the most important position. Its three quarterbacks on the roster have made a combined 12 starts at the college level, with zero coming at the power conference level. North Carolina: Buy I landed on the Tar Heels for two reasons: trust and schedule. I trust head coach Bill Belichick, and they play a really favorable schedule. This team went under .500 a year ago, and it has a lot of transfers, so it's tough to project how this roster is going to do. I don't think Belichick cares about all the noise surrounding him and the program as of late. I think he cares about just getting his players to do their jobs. If they can do that in that conference against that schedule, no one is running away from the Tar Heels. Bill Belichick is entering his first season as UNC's head coach, and his first season coaching college ball. (Photo by) I think Belichick has a good chance of convincing his roster to not only do their jobs, but to also find ways not to beat themselves. His quarterback addition in the transfer portal, Gio Lopez, is a strong sign that he'll have a roster capable of doing that. Clemson is really the only team that is clearly better than UNC on its schedule. That might be UNC's only game against a top-25 team as well, avoiding Miami, Florida State, SMU, Louisville or Georgia Tech. So, if it loses to Clemson, it still has a manageable schedule. Cal: Sell I wish Justin Wilcox and his team weren't on this list, but you've just got to analyze the tea leaves. I thought this team might have overachieved in 2024 despite going 6-7. Wilcox is a terrific football coach and going 6-7 at Cal is really difficult to do. Getting back to that mark became even more difficult for Wilcox and Cal this offseason. It was probably hit harder in the portal than any other team, losing Fernando Mendoza, Jaydn Ott and several other key playmakers. This team can't compete, and its roster is going to make you say, "Who are these guys?" I know Cal's ACC schedule probably won't look daunting, but every team it plays in the conference slate will probably have better talent. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. share
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers at Pirates Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for July 22
It's Tuesday, July 22 and the Tigers (60-41) are in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates (40-61). Casey Mize is slated to take the mound for Detroit against Mitch Keller for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh took Game 1 of the series, 3-0 to break a three-game losing streak. Detroit is 1-3 since the break, like Pittsburgh, but the Tigers have scored three runs in four games compared to the Buccos' who scored 10. Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Tigers at Pirates Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Time: 6:40PM EST Site: PNC Park City: Pittsburgh, PA Network/Streaming: FDSNDT, SNP Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Tigers at the Pirates The latest odds as of Tuesday: Moneyline: Tigers (-147), Pirates (+123) Spread: Tigers -1.5 Total: 8.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Tigers at Pirates Pitching matchup for July 22, 2025: Casey Mize vs. Mitch Keller Tigers: Casey Mize, (9-3, 3.15 ERA)Last outing: 3.0 Innings Pitched, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 1 Walk, and 4 Strikeouts Pirates: Mitch Keller, (3-10, 3.48 ERA)Last outing: 6.0 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Tigers and the Pirates Rotoworld Best Bet Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Paul Skenes to win NL CY Young over Zack Wheeler: "Entering the All-Star break, Skenes had a 1.19 ERA in career wins compared to a 2.39 ERA in losses or non-decisions, so either way, he hasn't been the Buccos' problem since he arrived. This year alone, Skenes has allowed 27 runs over 20 starts and the Pirates have lost 11 of those 20 games! Pittsburgh's offense has scored the fewest runs in not just the NL, but all of baseball — even the Rockies and White Sox. For more context, the Phillies have scored 112 more runs than the Pirates in one less game. Both Skenes and Wheeler will be dominant in the second-half, I have no doubts, but Skenes could post a sub 2.00 ERA this season (was doing so through 19 starts), sub .200 OBA, and still have a losing record, which on surface level makes no sense. Despite how it looks or sounds, I think what Skenes is doing weighs more impressive, challenging, and deserving than what Wheeler is doing." Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Tigers and the Pirates: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Detroit Tigers on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC. Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tigers at Pirates Detroit is 11-5 when Mize pitches this season Pittsburgh is 6-14 when Keller pitches this season The Tigers have won 24 of 41 games following a defeat In 8 of the Pirates' last 10 games with Mitch Keller starting the Under has cashed With Mitch Keller starting the Pirates have covered the Run Line in 7 of their last 9 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
