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Paul Finebaum was surprisingly the biggest advocate for Clemson football during an ESPN panel on First Take Friday morning. The longtime college football voice broke down some of his biggest storylines for the 2025 season, and made it clear he sees Clemson as the ACC’s top hope to break back into the Playoff picture.
“I think they’re a sure thing to get back,” Finebaum said, backing the Tigers to reach the College Football Playoff once again. “They may even have a real chance to win it all. They’ve got what might be the best quarterback in the country in Cade Klubnik and a defense with maybe three first-round picks.
“And Dabo Swinney, even though he’s been out of the spotlight for a while, he’s back — and I think this is his best team since the 2019 title run.”
While Finebaum was bullish on Clemson, fellow panelist Kevin Clark took a more measured stance. Clark stuck by his prediction from earlier this summer that LSU will walk into Death Valley and leave with a win this August. For him, Clemson’s entire ceiling rides on Klubnik’s shoulders.
Clark argued that Clemson’s roster just isn’t as stacked as it was during the program’s dominant stretch. “With Klubnik, it all comes down to whether or not — I know this sounds crazy — he can be Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence,” Clark said. “They’re not recruiting quite like they did back then. You’d look at those championship rosters and see NFL talent everywhere. Now it’s more top-heavy.
“So it depends on Klubnik lifting them to compete with LSU, with a Playoff team. I could absolutely see them in the CFP, but I’m not ready to say they’re in that national title tier yet.”
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Publish date : 2025-07-11 22:20:00
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