CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Klatt says Kelly Bryant's injury issues at Syracuse shouldn't help Clemson in the Playoff rankings. (USA TODAY sports-Rich Barnes)
Klatt says Kelly Bryant's injury issues at Syracuse shouldn't help Clemson in the Playoff rankings. (USA TODAY sports-Rich Barnes)

CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'


by - Staff Writer -

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt isn’t buying the College Football Playoff committee’s latest ranking – and that’s not all that surprising.

Last week, Klatt called out the committee and its television partner ESPN for an SEC bias to the rankings, such as Auburn up at No. 10, which he said, in turn, boosted Clemson into a coveted top-four spot over Oklahoma.

Auburn went on to dominate the poll’s No. 1 Georgia over the weekend, 40-17, but that left Klatt undeterred in his feelings toward the committee’s placement of Clemson at No. 2 this week, two spots ahead of Oklahoma.

“Right now I see inconsistencies. I see straight entertainment benefit,” Klatt said on his tour of FS1 shows Wednesday. “Clemson at (No. 2) ahead of Miami and Oklahoma is laughable. Absolutely laughable. You line up the resumes and they’re not all that close. Clemson has two top-15 wins. Oklahoma has three.

“Oklahoma did two of those on the road. By the way all those wins came by 10 or more points.”

If the Playoff selections were held today, Klatt would have Clemson on the outside-looking in with a top-four of Oklahoma at No. 1 then Alabama, Miami and Wisconsin.

The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback particularly takes an issue with committee chair Kirby Hocutt’s use of Kelly Bryant’s ankle injury and then absence for much of the Syracuse loss (concussion protocol) factoring into the rankings. He points to Oklahoma missing six starters at points of the Sooners loss to Iowa State.

“Oklahoma lost to a 6-4 Iowa State team, who has four Big 12 wins,” Klatt said. “Meanwhile Syracuse is the team that beat Clemson and they have two ACC wins. It’s not even in the same ballpark as far as the losses. Then they create the excuse that Kelly Bryant was banged up. Like Kelly Bryant is all of a sudden a world-beater. The guy has seven touchdown passes and five interceptions and he’s thrown for 200 yards twice in the last seven games. He’s not that great…

“Go pound sand with your Kelly Bryant had a bum ankle excuse. It’s not an excuse. I don’t trust the committee anymore. The bias is out of control.”

Klatt sees "a mess" ahead for the Playoff Four decision.

"It’s bordering on completely untrustworthy," he said. "That’s a little scary for someone who loves the sport. Lives and breathes the sport. And wants to give the credit for the way they play on the field. This committee right now is laughable with the inconsistencies they are giving us from a week to week basis. The only way you earn trust is through consistency of behavior and we’ve seen zero.

"Right now it’s looking like we’re going to have a mess at the end of the year based on the way teams are playing and the way teams are getting upset. We could have all kinds of scenarios where 8-9-10 teams have a claim to the College Football Playoff."

In ESPN's "strength of record" metric*, Clemson sits one spot behind Oklahoma, where they are 3-4 to Miami then Alabama. ESPN cites Clemson as having the only single-digit strength of schedule ranking among Playoff contenders (3rd), with Oklahoma 13th and Miami next at 21st.

* Per ESPN, it measures the chance an average top 25 team would have the team's record, given the schedule.

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Subject (Replies: 93) Author
spacer TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
TigerNet News®
spacer You're better than this....I think.
feraltyger
spacer What a tool! LOL***
Orange®
spacer Re: What a tool! LOL***
HunterClemsonTigers
spacer But he has Wisconsin in his top 4 who couldn't bust a grape
RenegadeTiger®
spacer Hey, Joel... you know what's really "laughable"?
7173TIGER®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'***
jtiger1®
spacer Re: Did not read.
Uncle Bill®
spacer So he thinks our resume is not close when lined up next
GWPTiger®
spacer +1 - You've made a good point, he's the one who's biased!***
GWPTiger®
spacer What a tool.***
nwillhit®
spacer +1 He is a tool.***
nwillhit®
spacer Speaking of morbid curiosity.
NorthwestPurple®
spacer Re: What a tool.***
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: +1 - You've made a good point, he's the one who's biased!***
Dugatiger®
spacer What a TOOL!
TigerBallsRawls®
spacer Who cares?
clemsontiger2002
spacer The snowflakes with thin ice***
ninetytwotiger®
spacer Re: Who cares?
Dugatiger®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
cfieldtiger®
spacer Klatt is not a thinker . . .
mrmatt
spacer I understand, I get emotional when someone insults Clemson.***
ClemsonTiger1988®
spacer Re: Klatt is not a thinker . . .
Dugatiger®
spacer Re: Klatt is not a thinker . . .
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: Klatt is not a thinker . . .
dgcannon39
spacer Well, we were #4. Then #2 and #3 lost. Logic says we r #2.
cdj001
spacer What can you possibly learn about FB @ Colorado or Richmond?
ObiWan
spacer Somebody is a..
CmoneyTiger
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
des40
spacer Irrational hysterics based on arbitrary criteria.
Swarley
spacer Check this out from last November 2016....
ClemBert
spacer Well, we absolutely curb stomped #3
camdentiger09
spacer Re: Check this out from last November 2016....
deleted
spacer Any one of our opinions mean as much. Moving on.***
ColaTownTiger
spacer Who cares. The rankings at this point matter very little.
o2bnclemson
spacer Re: Who cares. The rankings at this point matter very little.
dgcannon39
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
momartiger
spacer He has no logic
T1gerpaws®
spacer Klatt's "bias is out of control"
TigerzzRoar®
spacer Oklahoma might've been missing some players, as we were
DGUARCHITECT
spacer Guess Vegas has it all wrong too then.
JayDyches
spacer Guess Vegas has it all wrong too then.
JayDyches
spacer Who?***
Fordtunate Son
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
tiger6
spacer Guess Vegas has it all wrong too then.
JayDyches
spacer I am loving all the butt hurt. This is good motivation for
Clem_Alumn
spacer Could it be that Oklahoma is over hyped every single year?
clemson man7®
spacer No matter how much the rules say it's all about this year,
wildblulou®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Hakalo27
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Hakalo27
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
fencebusters®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
bobwilson4
spacer I have a couple short comments to add to this thread.
ClemsonTiger1988®
spacer We are the defending champs and we beat what is probably the best in the SEC
CootSmackdown16®
spacer well, that's why he does nothing important for a living***
TigerCook®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Marine4Life®
spacer Oh no! Are we frauds again?***
NorthwestPurple®
spacer Who?
twill
spacer Take that resume and cram it. Best teams are Bame, Clemson,
Clemson13
spacer BTW, I hope we get to play Oklahoma or Wisky in 1st round.
Clemson13
spacer Re: BTW, I hope we get to play Oklahoma or Wisky in 1st round.
dgcannon39
spacer It's funny, bc earlier we had top 15 wins on the road
camcgee®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
CU1976
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Swampcat03
spacer Just beat SC and Miami...that will shut them up ;-)***
NCLakeTiger
spacer Re: Just beat SC and Miami...that will shut them up ;-)***
Dugatiger®
spacer Re: Just beat SC and Miami...that will shut them up ;-)***
dgcannon39
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
famcat
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
redbaron21
spacer And Yet...
Fluxus
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Tigerdug23®
spacer If the CFP committee members were betting, their $ would
wildblulou®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
GoTigers47®
spacer Never heard of her***
1portroyalty®
spacer 'The bias is out of control'
bleedsorange81®
spacer Why does TNet keep giving these guys more publicity'
deleted
spacer Your ignorance is out of control***
RC Tiger®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
BKendall36
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
robbensdale
spacer He's biased too, for his little conference . .but you have
PetesPonies
spacer Never heard of her.***
colberttiger®
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
LWT
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
raventiger
spacer Just who is this Klatt lady?
SillyDaddy
spacer Re: Just who is this Klatt lady?
ddclemson
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Dugatiger®
spacer Three straight years of hate as fuel?
TigerNotAtGT
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
jscott224
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
itsgood2bme
spacer The guy is half-right...
walrus
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
robbensdale
spacer KB is a running threat
ParrotHdBE
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
beachtiger80
spacer Re: TNET: CFB analyst on Clemson at No. 2: 'The bias is out of control'
Nelno