
ESPN's Paul Finebaum champions Clemson as national title contender |
An ESPN show panel where Paul Finebaum is the voice championing Clemson football.
It's something that truly happened on First Take Friday morning, where the college football pundit went through his top storylines of the 2025 season. On the state of the ACC, Finebaum has Clemson as a sure bet. "I think they're a sure thing to get back," Finebaum said of Clemson returning to the College Football Playoff. "They may even be a legitimate shot at winning a title. They have in mind the best quarterback in the country in Cade Klubnik, they have an elite defense with perhaps three (first round) picks on there. "And Dabo Swinney, even though he's fallen off the face of the earth for a while, he's back now and I think this is his best team since his last national championship appearance in '19." Fellow panelist Kevin Clark reiterated a take from earlier this summer that he sees LSU coming into Clemson and winning this August. He puts the onus on Klubnik to carry the team to any kind of national expectations. Clark doesn't see quite as talented a Clemson roster as from the runs to the national championship games in the previous decade. "With Klubnik, it all comes down to whether or not -- I know this is crazy to say -- of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence," Clark said. "The reason I say is that is they haven't recruited at the level they did a decade ago. You look at those rosters where they won championships and there were NFL bodies at every single part of the field. Now it's more of a top-heavy thing, they're not on the trail like they used to getting as many five-stars as they did a decade ago. "So, it comes down to whether or not Cade Klubnik is going to be able to elevate that roster to the big boys, to LSU, to a team they played in the CFP. I would not be surprised in January to see them in the CFP, but I don't think they're national contenders just yet."

Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now!