The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Joel Klatt’s Preseason Top 25 for the 2025 Season

Episode Date: August 4, 2025

FOX Sports’ lead College Football analyst Joel Klatt unveils his Preseason Top 25 for the upcoming season. He reveals who he has at #1 heading into the year as Texas, Ohio State and Penn State all contend for the top spot. Klatt explains why he is high on Michigan this season and who else from the Big Ten could make a push for a Playoff spot. He debates how to rank SEC teams like Georgia, LSU and Alabama against each other inside his Top 10. Klatt also makes the case for a Big 12 team to go from a losing record in 2024 to a spot in his Preseason Top 25 this season. RSVP for the Live show on Thursday, August 28th at the Browning Amphitheatre in Columbus ahead of the Texas-Ohio State matchup. The event is FREE but make sure to RSVP. The first 300 guests to RSVP receive 2 free drinks, food, and other perks: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joel-klatt-show-live-in-columbus-tickets-1554998204489?aff=oddtdtcreator Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/KLATT10Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount. 0:00–1:59 Intro 2:00–3:29 Utah 3:30–5:19 Oklahoma 5:20–6:39 Baylor 6:40–9:45 Iowa 9:46–11:29 Ole Miss 11:30–13:37 Iowa State 13:38–15:33 Texas Tech 15:34–17:34 Arizona State 17:35–19:49 Indiana 19:50–21:49 Texas A&M 21:50–23:59 Kansas State 24:00–25:59 Florida 26:00–27:29 Illinois 27:30–29:14 Miami 29:15–32:24 South Carolina 32:25–35:07 Michigan 35:08–37:26 Alabama 37:27–38:46 LSU 38:47–41:07 Georgia 41:08–43:54 Notre Dame 43:55–45:29 Oregon 45:30–47:41 Clemson 47:42–49:52 Ohio State 49:53–51:48 Texas 51:49–54:12 Penn State 54:13-56:27 Announcement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Death taxes and Utah football. Red Raiders, there's some hype here. Kurt Signetti, I googled him, and he does in fact win. I think Oregon or Penn State is going to get beat by Iowa. I'm bullish here. I'm bullish. I'm going to go with Alabama. They have to bounce back.

I believe that that's your SEC champion. Hey, what's up, everybody? Welcome into the program. I'm Joel Clad. This is the Joel Clad Show. This show is brought to you by Graduate by Hilton. And how about the new look, folks? New season, new look, great open right there.

Everybody here at the Joel Clatio has been doing incredible work. Can't thank them enough. The new graphics look amazing. I know that you guys are going to enjoy them as we continue on here during the course of the season. And again, thanks to Graduate by Hilton, as always for their support. Okay, before we get into it, this is it, man. This is the top 25 episode right here. My preseason top 25 teams, we're going to get into it very quickly.

Two things before we get going. Number one, I have a massive announcement for the Joel Clatt show, and it's live episode. Coming up this fall, I will be giving you all the location details, the timing details for that. So stay tuned for that later in the show. And then, as always, the second thing, go ahead and subscribe on YouTube. It's right there. Just go ahead and follow us, subscribe right there in the YouTube section. a comment below and as always go follow us on social media at Joel Clat Show wherever you like to social media.

Okay, here it is right here. The top 25 teams in college football. We're going 25 to 1 as we always do. So let's get into it. Let's start right away with number 25. You knew I had to do this. Guess why? Death taxes and Utah football. Let's go. They're coming back. Utah is coming back this year. We all know they're coming back. And this is the exact type of year where I love Utah because no one's talking about them in the off season. When no one's talking about them, they're at their most dangerous. They're coming off a season in which they were a much better team than their record indicated. They were 5 and 7, but mainly due to injuries. Remember, this was a 4-0 team at one point. Just absolutely snake-bitten, had to start four different quarterbacks for Kyle Whittingham. I thought last year might have been Kyle's last season coaching.

And, you know, he comes back. And this might be it for Kyle. He hasn't said that to anybody. They have got the coach in waiting with Morgan Scali, their defense. a coordinator. But really it's not going to come down to the defense. And I don't even think it's going to come down to Kyle. It's going to come down to upgrading on the offensive side at the quarterback position and then staying healthy there. Devin Dampier comes in from New Mexico. He was a first team all-conference guy in the Mountain West a year ago. I think they're going to be more

of an RPO style of system. I think that that's going to fit them in particular with their desire of how they like to run the football and the way that they like to run the football. Dampier had over 1,100 yards rushing last year with 19 rushing TDs. So that's why I've got Utah. Again, not a lot of people talking about Utah. I'm talking about Utah. I think Utah pops back in there and they will threaten in the Big 12 for a potential birth in that Big 12 championship game.

All right, at number 24, I struggled here at the back of the top 25. So I went with basically some guys that I trusted. and in this case, it's a place that I trust because they're always successful. They've been one of the most successful programs in the history of the sport, a coach that I still believe in, even though, you know, it's been up and down at times in this location, and then a quarterback that transferred in that I think is really good. I'm talking about John Matere and the Oklahoma Sooners.

So I've got Oklahoma at 24. Offense was a disaster last year. Okay, we all know that. Venables had to make those changes at Offensive Coordinator. the wide receiver group was devastated by injuries. The line was a mess, allowed over 50 sacks. That was tied for most in the country. So they bring in a new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle,

from Washington State along with Washington State's quarterback, John Mateer, who I just mentioned. I like Mateer a lot. When I was prepping for the Holiday Bowl, getting ready for the Washington State Syracuse game, I watched a lot of Mateer, and unfortunately, he had transferred out so we didn't get to see him in that game. But, man, I was impressed with everything that he does.

He's more athletic than you, I think maybe I, I gave him credit for. Very good arm. He's accurate, and he's the type of guy that I think will improve them right away. Venables on the defensive side, he's back to calling the plays on defense, and they were a top 20 defense last year. So that side of the football has gotten fixed. So you might be wondering, like, well, why are they just 24? Their schedule is brutal. It was brutal last year, and it's brutal again this year. They've got to navigate in the second half of the season. Check out these last seven games. Texas at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee,

at Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. That's just tough. The SEC has wild fluctuations in terms of some of these teams that have the most difficult schedules in the league and the ones that don't. Maybe not dissimilar to some of the Big Ten teams as well, but Oklahoma certainly got to,

not even kind of, they got the poor end of that draw, them, Florida, who you'll see later. so we continue to move on. All right. Next for me is Baylor at 23. So Baylor finished the year on a high note. Regular season, six straight wins. Now, they did lose in that bowl game to LSU, but they found something at the quarterback position for Dave Oranda. Sawyer Robertson broke out last year. Over 3,000 yards throwing the football. Now they've got Bryson, Washington, to go with him at running back. I think they might

have the best running back quarterback duo in the conference. Washington ran for over a thousand yards as a freshman. And I think the defense should improve. Here's what's interesting for me about Dave Iranda. You would think that his defense would lead the way. Last year, that wasn't the case. The offense had to carry this team. He's back to calling the defensive place for the second year in a row, and I expect them to turn around on that side of the football. Intriguing opening game, I think that we're going to know everything we need to know about Baylor and maybe this other team who, by the way, didn't make my top 25. Friday night, week one on Fox, Baylor and Auburn in Waco. That one's going to be a really good one. I think Baylor's got a good chance to win that

football game. That's going to set the tone for them against six regular season wins in a row to end the year last year. They lost to LSU in the bowl game and now they get that giant opener at home against Auburn. All right, 22. I keep telling you guys, I'm going with things that I trust, right? So Utah, what do I trust? Just you. Utah, Kyle Whittingham, Oklahoma's got the quarterback, John Matier, who I really like, Sawyer-Wabardson for Baylor, how they finish the regular season. So what do I trust about 22? Defense, Iowa.

Give me Iowa at 22. All right. So you're trying to find these teams at the back end of the top 25. You know, these are the eight, nine-win teams during the course of the year. Do we think that Iowa can do that? Yeah. Do we think they could do more? Yeah, probably.

this might even be a bit underrating the Iowa Hawkeyes. The offense improved last year for Kirk Ferrence. Now, they didn't need to do much to improve. Remember Tim Lester, he was the offensive coordinator that they brought in a year ago. Now he's going to be in year two. And here's the thing. Here's what I'm most excited about for Iowa.

It's not just that it's Kirk Farrants or Phil Parker, the defensive coordinator and that defense and the consistency of what they bring in. it's this new quarterback that they've got, Mark Grinowski. Mark Grinowski is a guy that I think could turn them around. Now, I get it. You might be thinking to yourself like, Joel, we've heard this song and dance before. It just doesn't happen at Iowa. And listen, I understand.

I understand if that's where you're at. However, this guy might be a little different now. Mark Grinowski transfers in from South Dakota State, which has been one of the premier Division II programs, FCS programs around. He's won the FCS Heisman back in 2023. He was a finalist again last year. He's won two, not one but two national championships at that level, and he started 55 games.

See, to me, in the modern era of college football, this is the type of guy that could absolutely pop. Experience over talent, a lot of cases, in a lot of places and in a lot of places over the last couple of years, could that be the M.O. for Iowa. They lost three close games by three points or less a year ago. I get it. They've got to replace some guys on defense, but like, should we care? No, the system under Phil Parker has been as good as anywhere in the country. I can't wait for early in the year. We're actually going to do that SciHawk game. Gus Jenny and I will be on the call for Iowa, Iowa State. That one's going to be a very good football game. because that opponent, not quite on the list, but they will be upcoming. They're two toughest games are against Oregon and Penn State. Both of those teams are at home in Kinnick. Remember now, remember, let's get back into college football mode.

What do we know about Kinnick? This is where top 10 teams go to die, right? Like someone's going to lose in Kinnick. I think Oregon or Penn State is going to get beat by Iowa. I don't know which one. I think both of those teams are incredible teams, but like I could see that happening because, of what we trust about their defense,

as well as the quarterback Mark Grinowski. So watch out for him. All right, now we get out of kind of like the trust mode and we get into like the wild cards. All right. So here's a wild card for me. Ole Miss. I think Ole Miss is going to be really good.

Do I know that? No. Do I trust in that? They got to replace a lot. Lane's done an unbelievable job there. I think Lane Kiffin is one of the best coaches in college football. I really do. He's a great follow on Twitter.

Lane and I had that little back and forth there in the playoff time. And here's the best part about it. Like, Lane's awesome. He and I have texted since it's like he doesn't take it personal. He understand. Like, Lane Kiffin is so good for college football. So good for college football. He's won double-digit games and back-to-back seasons now at Ole Miss.

That's the first time that's happened in Oxford in over 60. years. So he's producing. You know, it's not all just the tweets and the, I keep calling it Twitter. Am I the old guy? Do we all call it X? Do we have to call it X now? What do we even call the tweets? Are they just X's? What's happening? I don't, I'm 43. I'm like, I can't stop calling it Twitter. Regardless, Ole Miss has got to replace a lot of talent from last year. We know that. Jackson, Dart, first round quarterback. They are going to turn to Austin Simmons. I think he's a good player.

Do I know that? No, I don't, but I think he's a really good player. Lane always replenishes the roster with an active portal season, which he has done for reinforcements. And so I'm going to go with Ole Miss at 21. Do I know that this is going to happen for Ole Miss? No. But like I said, Lane's a great coach.

It's a quarterback-friendly offense. I think Simmons is a good player, so I'm going to stick them at 21. And number 20, it's the Cyclones, Iowa State. So you got Iowa at 22, you've got Iowa State at 20. Matt Campbell's done a heck of a job. We all know that. Now, here's what's interesting about Iowa. And it's, you know, harken back to what I said about Utah.

It's like when you're not talking about Utah, they normally have a big season. Well, that's also how I feel about Iowa, which is then why when you do start talking about Iowa in the preseason, it actually makes me a bit nervous for the Cyclones and Matt Campbell. But he's a really good coach, folks, like an excellent college football coach. They made the Big 12 championship game last season. They won a program record 11 football games. They've got their quarterback Rocco Beck back. Heck of a player. Third season is starting quarterback,

but he does have to replace his two go-to-wide receivers, Jaylon Noel and Jaden Higgins, who are both NFL guys. They hit the portal to replace those guys, and they believe in those guys, actually talked with Rocco when I was calling the UFL semi-final game in St. Louis. His dad, Anthony, is the head coach there.

Rocco was there on the sidelines. talking with Rocco, and he's like, hey, Joel, like, these guys can play on the outside. I feel really good about my wide receiver options. So I trusted him and put him in the top 25, and they're number 20 in my top 25. Their defense is always going to be good. I think that Iowa State is one of those teams in the Big 12, and it's really, the Big 12 is so evenly matched that it's like, you've got to trust an experienced quarterback, a coach that's done it before because they're going to be in a lot of one-score games. So can he produce down the stretch? That will be the question.

At number 19, here's another Big 12 team, and we're getting in a little bit of a run of Big 12 teams right here. We're going to have three in a row. This is the second. At 19, I struggled with this one between 19 and 20. So I went Iowa State at 20 because I know how it feels as a quarterback to lose some really good wide receivers and then have to go out there the next year.

It just doesn't feel the same. And then this program, even though they didn't have the on-field success that Iowa State did last. year. They seem to have a lot of momentum right now in recruiting, in the portal, the way that they're spending. Texas Tech at 19. Red Raiders, there's some hype here. And I think that it's real. I did not have them in my top 25 at the end of spring. But after, you know, like the entirety of the offseason, really examining the rosters as they settled after all the portal openings, I think Texas Tech is the top 25 team. You look up at Texas Tech, the offense was excellent last year. They

were top five in the country, but the defense was terrible, one of the worst. So they hit the portal really hard in the offseason, and I think that can go a long way in the Big 12. Remember now, if everyone's close together in the Big 12, which they are, there's not these outlier teams as great teams or even bad teams. So if they're all mashed together, then little improvement is going to make a huge difference. You can pass a lot of teams in the Big 12 with just a little bit of improvement, and they seem to have done that in the portal. Now, hopefully it pans out on the field, but in that conference, you commit like that in the portal and it should pay off. Reinforcements on the front on the defense, outside linebacker

David Bailey from Stanford, defensive tackle Lee Hunter from UCF. These type of guys are going to make a huge impact. And then you still have Baron Morton back at quarterback. It's going to be his third season at quarterback. they were a top 10 passing offense in the country, and you got something going at Texas Tech. I think Texas Tech has a good chance to play for the Big 12 championship, which would put them 60 minutes away from a college football playoff.

And Joey McGuire and all the Red Rader fans, I think they would take that right now. I think they would take that right now. Joey McGuire's done an excellent job there in Lubbock. Okay, number 18, another Big 12 school. This is a guy. Well, two things. Coach, I really like.

A team that performed at a high level a year ago, and their quarterback is back talking about Arizona State. Arizona State is going to be at 18. Now, some are going to have them higher. Here's why you would have them higher than 18. This is what you would say. You would say, hey, Arizona State won the Big 12 a year ago. They went to the college football playoff, gave Texas everything that they could handle.

All of that is true. Bring back their quarterback. Bring back their best wide receiver. Bring back their coach. All these things is like, yes. Yes, yes, you just start talking yourself in to Arizona State. But, but as much as I like, Sam Levitt, as much as I like, Jordan Tyson, the quarterback wide receiver combination,

here's what has me worried and why I've kept them outside of the top 15, and I'm going to keep them at 18 for the preseason. Cam Scataboo. Second in the FBS and touches and scrimmage yards last season, only behind Ashton Genty. And as we saw in those big games last year, like, he meant everything to that team on the field. So I can't in good conscience just say, like, they're going to be fine without Cam Scataboo. I don't know that.

In fact, 18 might be high. I think Kenny Dillingham is a really good coach. He has shown the ability to turn that program around. He's kept the talent on that roster. but now he's got to go out there and replace the heart and soul of the team, which is difficult to do, which is difficult to do. So you're going to see Arizona State a lot higher on other boards. I've got them at 18, but that's the reason why.

They do not have their heart and soul. That's not something that you can just replace with a transfer. That's not something that you can just replace with a young player that's going to get those touches. It's not just about the touches. It's how he played. It's how he played and the energy that he gave the rest of the team. All right, 17.

Oh, I don't think this team is falling. falling off too far from last year. Maybe a slight step back, but I do believe that they're here, frankly, to stay. And that's Indiana. Indiana is going to go at 17. I don't think there's going to be a major drop-off. One, their schedule is favorable, as was the case a year ago. And here's the thing.

Kurt Signetti, I Googled him, and he does, in fact, win. Good suggestion, Kurt. The 11 wins last year, not an anomaly for this guy. Did you know? And if you'd Google him, you'd know this. He's 130 and 37 in his 14 seasons as a head coach. He's never had a losing season. Guy's a proven commodity.

He tried to tell everybody, you know, Google me. I win. Yeah, you do. And Sig is perfect in Indiana. And here's the thing. It's not just about the head coach. You've also had to have other things. that I like.

At quarterback, do they need to replace Curtis Rourke? Yes. Now, we didn't really know who Curtis was before last season. So you've got this philosophy with Cignetti and the Indiana coaching staff where they understand how to pick their quarterback, and it worked out last year. So I trust that they're picking their quarterback again and they're going to hit again, this time with Fernando Mendoza, he transfers in from Cal. And then outside of the quarterback, they've got a ton of talent still there.

This is not a team that just got decimated by the draft or by the portal. They've got a lot of guys back. Wide receiver, Elijah Surat, really good player. They brought in Roman Himby, the running back from Maryland, a guy that I've loved at Maryland. They've got three All-American candidates on their defense, one on each level of the defense. And as you know, if you've listened to this program for any length of time, I love that. Defense of Mekyll Kamara, linebacker Aden Fitcher, and quarterback, DiAngelo Ponds. So Indiana is at 17.

All right, 16. Here's a team that I'm rooting for to get good because I believe in their head coach. I think that this fan base deserves it because they've supported this program at a top 10 level and have not gotten top 10 results from their team. And I think that they've got the right guy now and he can bring this thing to fruition. Now, I'm talking about Texas A&M. Texas A&M is a sleeping giant, folks. They're absolutely a sleeping giant.

And the more that I looked at A&M over the offseason, the more that I liked them. The more that I liked them. So they're going to go at 16. Mike Elko, their head coach, is getting this program back on track, despite how the year ended last year. Okay, I don't love how it ended,

lost four of their last five after the seven and one start. I get it, but it doesn't bother me, all right? The offense has a lot coming back. Marcel Reed took over during last year and showed, I think, he's a dynamic athlete. They bring back their entire offensive line. They've got running backs back, including Levi-on-Moss. After he missed the last month last season, he's going to be back. They're going to have former five-star recruit Rubin Owens.

He missed all of last season. That's two really good backs. They added wide receiver from North Carolina State, Casey Concepcion, out of the portal. He was the number five wide receiver in the portal. He'll operate out of the slot. I believe Elko will get the defense going. That's his MO. That's his history.

The schedule then becomes the difficulty part. And the schedule has three really tough road games for A&M against really top tier teams. One of them, not even in the conference. They've got to go to Notre Dame early. They've got to go to LSU and they've got to go to Texas. Those three are really tough. If they just had two of those games and not three, I would have them higher than 16. but they don't.

They've got to go on the road all three times. I think it's going to be tough for them to win any of those games. That being said, I'm a huge, huge bet on the future guy with A&M. I think Elko is going to turn it around. I think that Texas A&M, again, is a bit of a sleeping giant. I think they can and will be a top 10 team here in the next couple of seasons. At number 15, this is one of those consistency deals, right? This is becoming a little bit like Kyle Whittingham in Utah.

It's like death taxes in Utah. Well, in the Big 12, the most consistent team in the Big 12 of recent vintage, Kansas State. So Kansas State's going to go at 15, and Kansas State is going to be my Big 12 pick. That's right, folks, Kansas State is my pick to win the Big 12 championship. Chris Kleiman and the Wildcats are the most dependable thing in that conference year after year. They have their quarterback back, Avery Johnson, going into year two. We'll see if he can take the next step. Love what he does as an athlete.

If you look at their losses last year, it was really a turnover question for them. And therefore losses, they were minus eight in the turnover margin in those games. I think that can turn around. On defense, they're going to have one of the best fronts in the league. They've got some questions about the offensive line. But remember, this is a program that develops really well.

And they develop well up front. So I've got Kansas State at 15. Kansas State's going to be my Big 12 champion with Chris Climmon and the boys going to the CFP. By the way, coming up later this month, I've got my CFP bracket prediction. I've got questions for the conferences. I've got my defining success for what, 10, 11, 12 teams out there throughout the country. We've got so much awesome content, including one of, well, my most anticipated Big Noon conversation, which is coming up here in the month of August,

a guy that I have been a huge fan of for a long time. And I think you're going to love hearing from him. That's all coming up in August. So stay tuned to the Joel Clashio and subscribe on YouTube. As we get into the top 15, this is a team that I've got to put a little bit of a caveat on. Okay? So when I first did this,

this team was 10th. Then news starts trickling. out and you give it a little bit more of a second look and you're like, man, why, why is there always news about him being banged up? 14 is Florida. I think Florida is unbelievable. Maybe not unbelievable. I think that they're really good.

They're a borderline great team. And this this this DJ Lagway like injury prone off season for Billy Napier has me concerned. They went eight and five a year ago. Won their final four. They beat LSU Ole Miss, FSU, Tulane. Like they had it going a little bit. But then all of a sudden you look up and it's like, well, if Lagway is not healthy, then I don't love what they're doing.

If he's healthy, then I love them. They're a top 10 team. Look at it this way. If Lagway is out there like he was a year ago, they're a top 10 team that went six and one last year when he started football games and the one loss. He left the game after an early first half injury in which they had the lead over Georgia. Okay, so if Lagway's healthy, top 10 team. If he's not, the schedule is brutal. And that's where we, that's the bottom line with Florida.

I love their roster. The Ampeer's done a heck of a job. they've got a four-game stretch where if Lagway's healthy for this four-game stretch in September and October, they've got a chance. But if not, yikes, they might lose all four of these. They've got, this is September and October, four-game stretch at LSU, at Miami, Texas at home, at A&M. Then later in the year, they still have Georgia, at Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

Again, brutal schedule. brutal schedule. If he's healthy, they can manage it. If he's not, then they can't. We move to 13. A team that I was very high on in the spring. I have some concerns for them as we move into fall camp, but it's still a team that I'm high on and I think could make a nice little run at the CFP. Could be this year's Indiana. And I'm talking about Illinois. Brett Bilema and Illinois. They're returning 16 starters. Love that. turning their quarterback. Love that. Luke Altmeyer. Their entire offensive line. Love that. Their biggest question is that they've got to replace their two best wide receivers.

That's always tough to do. You heard me talking about that with Iowa State a little bit earlier. Beulamah ball is certainly back, right? Tough, hard-nosed. Their team is experienced. They're going to play quality defense. And the schedule lines up for them. They avoid, just in the Big Ten, they avoid Penn State, Oregon, and Michigan. And they get Ohio State at home. home. So as far as a schedule goes, it's very reminiscent to what Indiana dealt with a year ago. And now you've got this experienced offensive line, this experienced quarterback. They replace some guys on the outside. But if they can do that, watch out. They've got these two games early, back-to-back games at Indiana and then home against USC. That's in September. If they can win both of those, then they're going to go to the playoff. If they can't, then it's going to be a tough road.

because, again, like Indiana last year, their schedule is not going to, it's not going to do them any favors late in the year. But again, Bealamo Ball is back. Illinois is a team that I certainly believe in. They've got all the ingredients to a team that could make a deep run this year, so they're going to start at 13.

Oh, how about this team? How about this team? I love that. I couldn't wait to get to this one. I'm bullish here. I'm bullish. Miami. What do we think?

Miami. I get it. Carson Beck, the injury stuff is not great. Elbow injury has made me nervous all offseason. All off season. But I can't get away from the fact that it's like, you can't recruit at that level, be in the portal at that level,

bring in these level of players for this long and not be better. Here's the bottom line. Miami finished 10 and 3 last year after that. that 9-0 start, and they lost that bad game up at Syracuse in which if they win it, they're going to go to the playoff and play for the ACC championship game. Mario Cristobol has got to get over that hump. Got to get over that hump.

Miami has got to go to the college football playoff. They can lean on the line of scrimmage and the run game, so Beck, I don't think is going to have to be a savior for them at quarterback, particularly early on in the season. The defense kept Miami out of the playoff last year, So they brought in a new defensive coordinator, Corey Heatherman. He comes in from Minnesota. Heatherman is a really good coach.

Not many people know of Corey Heatherman. I do. This guy can coach. For PJ Fleck and what they've done at Minnesota, if he can bring that level of what I would say is continuity and soundness to their defense, then they should be good. They hit the portal hard to fix the secondary in particular. They do have a potential star in Ruben Bain off the edge.

I think he is phenomenal. He was banged up a little bit last year, but if he's healthy, he's going to be really good. So Miami at 12, and I think they make a strong CFP push. At number 11, this is really a team that I think I've overrated them, but they've got a quarterback that I think is exceptional. They have a defensive player that could be one of the best defenders in the sport. And so because of that, I've got to rate them high, maybe not top top. but at 11, I've got South Carolina.

I'm talking about quarterback, Lenora Sellers, Dylan Stewart off the edge. Just those two alone, right, like they've got something going. The defense has got to replace a good amount in particular on that defensive line, but Beamer has recruited. Well, Shane knows what he's doing

on the recruiting trail, and the talent level has risen in that program, and they're going to have time to develop and get better as the season goes. So this team's schedule is backloaded. South Carolina is going to have a monster schedule late their last seven. So they're going to have time to get themselves to that point.

Their last seven games, here's what it looks like. At LSU, Oklahoma, Bama, at Ole Miss, then they have an off week, then they're at A&M, then you get the beautiful SEC November Cupcake and Coastal Carolina, then Clemson to finish. I hate those games in November. But whatever, whatever. That's difficult. Very difficult.

In particular, when you throw Clemson on in the non-conference and you've got to play an SEC schedule, you know, like South Carolina is going to have to, they're going to have to bring their lunch pail just to make it to the postseason. You know, this is a team that was knocking on the door last year, had a chance, but didn't get over that hump. Maybe they get over that hump this year with an experienced quarterback and really quality players on that defensive side.

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description below and you can download the app. The code will be automatically added to your account for later. Thanks to Seatgeek for sponsoring today's show and get that 10% off with Clat 10 right now. Now we get into the top 10. Here we go. All right. Can't help myself. I just love the way that they finished the season. This is a defense that got it going late in the year. Even with their star players not playing. They cannot be worse on offense than they were a year ago. And you know what? I think they're going to be back among the elite in college football.

Two years removed from winning a national championship. Here's the Michigan Wolverines at number 10. This team figured things out at the end of the year. They beat Ohio State. They beat Alabama basically without an offense. And they did it with an offense that through the ball better than only, what, three teams in the country, and all three of those teams were service academies. There's no way they can be that bad throwing the ball again.

Wink Martindale, their defensive coordinator, he figured out what worked with his players as the season went along, and they became in the back half of the year, and in particular over the last four games, the best defense in the country. That should continue. They bring in new offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsay. I'm interested to see how that works out. I'm not totally sure. Will we see Bryce Underwood at quarterback?

Is it going to be Mikey Keene, the Fresno transfer? He missed all of spring practice with an injury, so Underwood got all of those reps. Keene does have experience, by the way, 34 career starts. He played in Lindsay's offense at UCF. I know they're going to have to replace some really talented players in particular on the defensive front seven. But remember, without those players on the defensive front seven, without Will Johnson on the edge, they handled Alabama just fine. and that was an Alabama offense that still had Milro,

that still had Ryan Williams and was playing at full capacity. Michigan should be better. Their schedule is not that bad. And if you look at that Oklahoma game is really the barometer, they're going to go travel to Norman, Oklahoma. And if they win that game, then watch out. This is a CFP team. If not, we'll see.

Then the big question mark becomes Sharon Moore's suspension. Right now, he is going to be on a self-imposed suspension in for the third and fourth game of the season. Will it be more from an outside NCA suspend him even further? Possibly, possibly, as the time at the time that we're recording this that has not happened yet. But even

if they do, even if it is for like, let's say three games and it's got to be the first three. This is a program that has shown that they can get over that. I don't think that that is a game ender for them, to be quite honest with you. So, Michigan is going to be in the top 10.

I almost had them over this team because they just beat them in the bowl game. But I didn't. I'm going to go with Alabama, partly because they have to. They have to. They have to bounce back. Year 2 for Kalin DeBore. Bama failed last year to win 10 games for the first time since 2007. So, DeBoer's got his work cut out for him.

This is not a program that's just going to wait a lot. round for DeBoard. Now, DeBoer is an outstanding coach. He has won everywhere that he has been. He also has won everywhere that he has been in large part due to the fact that his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, has been with him. He was not there last year, but he's coming back, and they will be joined again. They've spent eight years together at other stops. Now they're back together. I think that's going to help them out. It's going to help Ty Simpson out, who's slated to be their quarterback. We'll see how good he is. He's a former five star. He's been waiting three years for his chance to play.

They're going to have stars all over the field. Bama's loaded with talent. We all know that. Ryan Williams is one of the best players in the country. Bernard is also one of the best players out there. I love Caden Proctor. He was a top 10 player for me. I love their center, Parker Brailsford.

These guys can play on defense. L.T. Overton, Tim Keenan, Deontay Lawson. This is a defense that was top 10 in the country for Kane Womack, their defense coordinator a year ago. They should be fine. Schedule's tough. They play at Georgia and their SEC opener. They've got to play at South Carolina and Auburn and the Iron Bowl.

Then they've got home games against LSU and Oklahoma. Bottom line is this. Kaelin DeBore has to win at Alabama. Alabama got used to a level of success that no program has ever achieved in the history of the suburb. Okay, so you can't just in your first two years have subpar years where you're missing the playoff or not playing for the SEC championship game. At a minimum, this program has got to go to the playoffs. That's just kind of what it is. I don't think that that's egregious or too much to ask.

This team and this roster should get there. Now, a team that I have above them, you could argue has not achieved as much as Alabama. It's not even an argument. They just haven't. But I trust their quarterback more. So that's why I put LSU at 8. I put LSU at 8 because Garrett and Us Myers, they're a quarterback.

I trust him more than Ty Simpson. I think that the urgency is there or should be for LSU and Brian Kelly. Brian Kelly knows it. That's why I hit the portal so hard. They had to fill some holes because it's got to happen for them. Listen, Notre Dame can't be going and playing for the national championship while LSU is not playing in the CFP. That's not why LSU paid Brian Kelly. that's as plainly as I can put it.

And everybody knows it. Nine and four is not going to cut it for them. They lost three straight in the second half. A&M, Bama, and Florida. That can't happen again. They get Harold Perkins back after he tore his ACL in the first month of the year. I think that they can get him back to kind of that freshman mold. Number one ranked portal class.

This should be a really good team. This should be a very good team, a team that, goes to the CFP. You know, how high can they go? I'm not sure. Are they good enough to get to the SEC championship game? I'm not sure. At number seven, the team that I'm just going to give the benefit of the doubt over LSU and over Alabama,

because Nick Saban is not there and Brian Kelly has never really done it at LSU. So the team grouped together in that SEC pocket is Georgia. And Georgia gets the benefit of the doubt. So they're number seven on my preseason rankings. Interesting team. Tough to project right now. I'll be honest, Gunner Stockton is a question mark for me. But Georgia is a program that has proven that it's like you don't have to have

elite level quarterback play. You got to have competent play. There's no doubt. But what do I trust from Georgia? It's not necessarily quarterback. It's really just Georgia. I trust Kirby Smart. Why?

Because they win. That's just what they do. There's never a shortage of talent at Georgia. We know that. They've addressed the wide receiver issues, which they're, let's be honest, like that was terrible last year. They led the country in drops. So they get Zachariah Branch from USC, Noah Thomas from A&M.

That should help them right away. Branch is one of the most dynamic players in the country. They get most of their big games at home. Here's the other thing I love about Georgia is their schedule. Most of their big ones are at home. Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, all at home. Where they never lose, by the way, between the hedges. 31 straight home wins.

Their last home loss was in 2019. They are 47 and 1 at home over the last nine seasons. 47 and 1. this, they only have three true road games. They play a couple of neutral site games. I believe Georgia Tech's a neutral and obviously Florida is always a neutral. Other than that, they only play three true road games with that level of talent. Listen, I know Kirby always complains about like, it's tough to win on the road in the SEC. Yeah, it's tough to win on the road, period. And guess what? You only have to do it three times this year. So congratulations to Kirby Smart. How about that?

George is a team that I think should play for an SEC championship, partly because the program that they've built, and partly because in terms of SEC schedules, that's about as favorable as you can get with that home denomination there, 31 straight at home again, 47 and 1 or the last 9. All right, at number six, we get into kind of a next tier of teams. And actually, this is my top five, we're in a tier, and then kind of those next five were in a tier,

and I kind of ranked them out within those tiers. I know I haven't really said that yet, but this was the team that was like the top of this tier that was not quite a top five. And at six, I've got Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a team that just beat up Georgia in the playoff. Their talent is way better than you think. See, I think people get stuck in this idea that, like,

well, Brian Kelly had to go to LSU in order to go and win and recruit. at the top end and win a national championship. They just played for a national championship under Marcus Freeman. I went back and looked at all the recruiting classes, going back to Brian Kelly's last three recruiting classes. That would be 2019, 20, and 21. The last four for Marcus Freeman, 22, 23, 24, 25.

And here's what you'll see is that the average player rating has gone up on average. Marcus Freeman has recruited and signed a player with an average rating of 91.5. Brian Kelly was recruiting and signing a player with an average rating of 90. So a point and a half higher in terms of his star rating and recruiting services. Now, does that make a difference? The answer is yes. The answer is yes. Because if you just went by the averages and you looked at like the average of 90 for Brian

Kelly over those three years, it would have been about 12 best in the country. Well, the 91.5 for Marcus Freeman is seventh best in the country. So you're talking about recruiting on par with or better than a lot of SEC and Big Ten teams. This team is an elite team. Their rankings over the last few years as it relates to just their average player rating, fourth in the country, fifth in the country, seventh in the country. They're doing a hell of a job. So this idea that they, you know, well, we've got to do it.

development and we don't quite have the players. No, that's false. Notre Dame has the players. Jeremiah Love leads the list. This guy is dynamic. I love Jeremiah Love. The schedule is obviously favorable. It's front-loaded. Early games against Miami and A&M. If they just split those two games, they should be fine and end of the CFP. They have an identity under Marcus Freeman. Love, loved talking to him for the Big Noon conversation. If you haven't watched that, by the way, go back on the channel and watch my conversation with Marcus Freeman. That's right there. Again, just subscribe to the YouTube channel.

I just don't have any questions about this Notre Dame team. They know who they are. Freeman has built this program into his image. They were banged up injury-wise, still played for a national championship. So Notre Dame leads that next pocket of teams there at number six, and we get now into the top five. This is my favorite show. And I know it goes along, it goes long, but like,

Come on. We've got football. It's top 25 time. Here are my top five teams going into the 2025 season. Number five, Oregon. They've got a team that is replacing a lot from a year ago. 18 starters across both sides of the ball. But, but this is why they're at the back of that next tier. They were 13 in one last year. Their only loss was to the Death Star Supernova, Ohio State Buckeyes,

once they realize that throwing to Jeremiah Smith is like, you know, really smart. And it's a team that, in a program that has built themselves in recruiting and has one of the most talented rosters in the sport. It's an elite level roster. They've hit the portal. They've recruited high school. Now they've got a quarterback that, yes, is not that experience, but I think he's very talented. Dante Moore takes over for Dylan Gabriel.

He got to sit behind Gabriel last year. and learn. He's a former five-star. He played right away at UCLA a couple of years ago. That didn't go great. That UCLA team was not good enough. Now he's gotten to sit there and learn under Dylan Gabriel, under Will Stein, the offensive coordinator. That's going to be huge. Now, offensively, the one thing that I don't love and why I put them at the backside of this tier of teams is because they lost Evan Stewart. He went down with a knee injury in the summer. So that means that they're true freshman, the five-star player, Jacori and Moore, he's going to have to make a huge impact early on.

D-lines should be really good. Landing, Tosh Lupoi, they know what they're doing on defense. Oregon, they're not going anywhere. Can't wait for them this year. They're at number five. All right. At number four, I wanted to put them higher. I just didn't because I'm just going to pump the brakes just a touch.

I might not pump them for long, but I'm going to pump them just a touch and put them at four, Clemson. I've loved Clemson all offseason, folks, and you know this. I've loved them in my top 10 players. Every time we talk about Clemson, I'm like, you know what, Clemson's going to be really good. And guess what? Clemson's going to be really, really good.

They bring back 16 starters, including my best quarterback in the country. Cade Clubnick, they have three legit wide receivers in the outside, Antonio Williams, Bryant Westgo, and T.J. Moore. They also have four starters back on the offensive line. they have huge talent on both sides of the ball. This is not going to be a team led by defense or led by offense. They're going to be balanced. You have to have that to win at the top level.

D-line, they've got T.J. Parker on the edge. They've got, or excuse me, T.J. Parker is on the edge. Interior, they've got Peter Woods. He's in there at tackle. They got the Purdue transfer will help. He's in there. He's a good player. Tom Allen is in as their defense coordinator.

He was the Indiana head coach, went to Penn State last year, and was their coordinator. And now he's going to be in at defense of coordinator. for Clemson. Their schedule, listen, their first and last games are going to be their toughest. Their opener is at home against LSU. I think that they win that game. They've got to go on the road to South Carolina late in the year. I don't know what South Carolina is going to be like. Remember, I told you South Carolina's last seven are very difficult. So what is South Carolina just from an injury standpoint at that point? In the ACC, this team, the Tigers, do not play Miami. Their toughest game in the ACC is probably at Georgia Tech, maybe at Louisville or the home game against SMU. This team absolutely is going to play for the ACC Championship. They probably should win the ACC championship. And I think that they're probably going to have a top four seed in the college football playoff.

Watch out for Clemson now. I think it's going to be a fascinating year for Clemson and Dabo to maybe take a victory lap on all of college football. All of us pundits were out there like questioning whether Dabo Sweeney knew what he was doing. And this might be the year where he's just like, yes, I know what I'm doing. All right. at number three, the defending champ, Ohio State. Buckeyes are in at number three.

I would have put them higher, but they're just replacing so much, in particular on that defensive side. 14 NFL draft picks. They have Ryan Day back, but they've got to replace both coordinators. So Chip Kelly, he's gone. Yeah, Brian Hartline comes in. I think he's going to call more plays. He's been there.

I think it'll be a collaborative effort. I like that. That's the offensive side. Jim Knowles leaves the defensive side and they bring in Matt Patricia. That seems like very much an outsider. We saw last year with Michigan, Wink Martindale come in with an NFL background and it took him some time to kind of learn the college game or at least learn what his players could do.

And maybe it wasn't Wink's issue or maybe it was, but it took him time to figure it out until they were a dominant defense late in the season. Jim Noles was creative. Matt Patricia comes. in more of an NFL style of guy, how long does it take him to mold to the college game? I think that that's a huge question. He's going to have to do it quickly because they've got Texas in that opener. They made some nice pickups in the portal, really good pickups. Tide in Max Claire from Purdue, he'll be one of the better players in the country. C.J. Donaldson,

the running back from West Virginia, got two tackles that are most likely going to start. And then at quarterback, we'll see. I've been asking Coach Day all offseason, like, who's it going to be, you know, is it Julian? And it's like, I think it's going to be Julian. And it's like, I think it's going to be Julian's saying, but he continues to say Lincoln Keenholds is still fighting for that job and doing a heck of a heck of a job in practice. So whoever wins that, guess what? Your prize is that you get to throw to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. I want to win that job. Can I win that job? I'm 43. I can't run at all. Can barely throw at this point. My shoulders toast. I could throw it to Jeremiah Smith. Just have to give, like, throw it in the vicinity. This guy is incredible. He's my top player in the country.

That title defense is going to be opened up right away against Texas. They host Penn State in the shoe. They've got to go to Ann Arbor. We know exactly what it is with Ohio State, and the standard is never going to change. I can't wait for that game against Texas. Who happens to be my number two team? The Texas Longhorns are at number two.

It's ArchMania, folks, and I can't wait for it. I think Arch is going to be outstanding. He reminds me a bit of the college version of Trevor Lawrence. I've told you that before during the course of this offseason. I really think Texas has a great chance to have the best defense in the country. Sark's known for offense. Everyone's going to talk about arch, but the defense should be incredible. Really, really good.

Did you know five of the last eight national champions have finished with the number one scoring defense in the country? Texas is going to have a chance to do that. They have a star at each level of that defense, Colin Simmons off the edge, Anthony Hill at linebacker, Michael Taff at safety. They hit the portal to address defensive teams. tackle. I think Texas is going to be phenomenal this year. And they need to be. Listen, they've played in the national semifinal each of the last two years. Sark has built something

that is sustainable. I believe that that's your SEC champion. I think that Texas in a lot of ways could steal the mantle from Georgia and win the SEC and become the preeminent program in that conference. I'm going to give them the early nod, at least right now, not picking a winner, but like I give them the nod over Ohio State in that 3-2 battle because I think I trust Manning over kind of an unfounded quarterback situation, unsettled quarterback situation at Ohio State. You look at what's around Manning, Wingo. He could be a breakout star on the outside.

They get C.J. Baxter back. Remember him? He's excellent. The O-Line has some question marks, but again, like this is a program that is. is recruited really, really well. Huge announcement right after this number one team in the country. Huge announcement right after this number one team in the country. My number one team in the country, as it was to end the spring, is going to be Penn State.

I'm huge on blueprints, folks. You know this. And in the last two years, we have seen the blueprint that goes out there and wins the national championship. That is an experienced team with an experienced quarterback with a lot of guys that come back they spur in the NFL, they come back, there's a chip on their shoulder, there's a tough loss in their rearview mirror, and they go out there, they write the ship, and they get it done. That's Penn State.

You've got quarterback, Drew Aller, returning, both running backs, Ketron Allen, Nick Singleton, back, four guys on the offensive line, back. You've got defensive players all over, including Deni Dennis Sutton, Back. I love that. They brought in Jim Knowles at defensive coordinator. Now, Andy Koldel, Nicky, the offensive coordinator is going to be at year two. They brought in three wide receivers. This was their major problem last year is that their wide receivers were not close to good enough. They brought in three of them. They're all going to be solid. Kairn Hudson from USC. Trebor Pena, the all-ACC slot receiver from Syracuse, Devante Ross, the all Sunbelt receiver from Troy. All those guys are an upgrade. And specifically Pena, I loved him at Syracuse prepping for that game. So now the big question is, like, can James Franklin get over the hump of those big games? They're going to have Oregon at home. They've got to go to Ohio State.

They're probably going to play for the Big Ten title again. They're going to be in CFP games. And last year, as good as the season was, they weren't able to get over that hump. They didn't beat Ohio State. They didn't beat Oregon. their two playoff wins were against SMU and Boise. Then they get beat by Notre Dame. So they're going to have to match up with someone that they are maybe not as good as or similar to and beat them,

which we haven't seen from Penn State over the last few years. And that will be their question. That will be their number one question. That will be their question now. That'll be their question in September. That'll be their question when Oregon comes in every time they get that chance. That will be the question for James Franklin. Franklin and my number one team in the country, the Penn State Nittney Lions.

Okay, here we go. Huge announcement right now. August 28th, two days before the opener in Columbus, we've got Texas and Ohio State on our air. Cannot wait for that. But August 28th, we are coming live, the Joel Clash show, to Columbus to the Browning Amphitheater. We are coming to Columbus for the live edition of the show ahead of that game, Texas, Ohio State.

the show will be Thursday, August 28th at the Browning Amphitheater right on campus, right in the middle of campus. The event is free, okay? But, but there is limited space. So you have got to RSVP. If you would like to go, you can be from anywhere. But in particular, if you're from Columbus or if you're a student at Ohio State, you've got to RSVP. The first 300 guests to RSVP are guaranteed two free drinks, food, and other perks and prizes. That's right. We cannot wait. It's going to be 8 o'clock. Thursday night, the 28th, the Browning Amphitheater right there on campus. We did a live show from Madison last year. We're bringing a live edition of the Joel Clatt show to Columbus.

Buckeye fans have always been incredible to us here at this program. So we wanted to come out there and bring our show to you. We're going to have great guests. We're going to have drinks. We're going to have food. We're going to have prizes. Contest that's going to be a really good deal. So again, go RSVP.

And you can just go to any of our social channels. you can go to the links below and you can figure out where to RSVP, and you can do that, and you can be one of those first 300 guests at the live show for the Joel Class Show in Columbus. That will do it. The top 25 teams, who, who, it's here. Can't wait. Can't wait.

We love college football. You love college football. Thank you to graduate by Hilton for their support. Can't wait for our next show that's coming straight up here in a few days. Please.