National analyst says Clemson has been 'passed' in ACC by two teams

FOX's Joel Klatt says Clemson has clearly been passed by FSU and Miami in the ACC this year.

by TigerNet Staff - Aug 14, 2024, 9:07 AM

FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt says Clemson has been passed, and he adds that it should be expected.

Klatt covered the burning questions of the conferences heading into the 2024 season, and his for the ACC is simple: 'Has Clemson been passed?' He answers yes.

The Tigers are looking to not go without an ACC crown for the third time in four seasons, and instead hope to win the league and clinch a spot in the 12-team Playoff with a second title in three years.

After a 9-4 season and third consecutive campaign without a CFP berth, Klatt lumped Clemson in a category with programs that had dynastic runs but didn’t quite adapt, such as Nebraska, USC, Miami, and Michigan until recently.

"I don’t think Clemson has gotten their due for what they did. Clemson has a six-year stretch that was as good as any in the history of the sport, and here’s the bad part, it happened in conjunction with the greatest 12-year stretch we have ever seen in the history of the sport (Alabama)," Klatt said, "so they were overlooked. If not for Nick Saban being the greatest coach in the history of the sport, we’re sitting here thinking, ‘Man, Clemson’s run was incredible.’ … Nick Saban ruined our view of what Clemson is right now. Totally ruined it. Now we just think it’s commonplace…What’s happening at Clemson right now is what we should expect to happen. The anomaly is Alabama.

"What’s happened at Clemson is what’s happened countless times in the sport."

He sees Miami and Florida State as the league leaders, tabbing Clemson as the No. 22 team in the sport this year.

"Everyone hammers Dabo for not adapting, and you know what, fair enough, and probably rightly so," Klatt said. "This idea that he’s not going to play in the transfer portal is just not sustainable. So this is what happens. You don’t learn from history – you’re doomed to repeat it…Have they been passed? And the answer is ‘yes’, yes they have. That’s the natural evolution of the sport, we should have expected it, and it’s time that we start to look at this season for what it is, which is clearly a Florida State/Miami look toward that ACC Championship game. This is nothing against Clemson. This is the natural evolution of college football. This is the natural progression of programs…

“Florida State and Miami have adapted. They’ve invested in the right areas and now they are playing with modernity. They’ve modernized and Clemson hasn’t, and they’re going to pass them and have, and I think that’s going to be evident this year."

Klatt added that he doesn't relish in the idea of Clemson falling behind in the conference and college football.

"And to be fair, I don’t root for this. I love Clemson," he said. "It wouldn’t take long and it wouldn’t take much for them to bounce right back…They’ve invested in the right areas. The facilities, and not in the personnel via the transfer portal, where Florida State has, Miami has. Now those rosters are just going to be in a better position to compete.”

Klatt said that 10-2 would be an underachievement for Miami this year, which he has at No. 12 preseason, with FSU one spot behind.