Joel Klatt changes tune on national championship favorite after Week 3

Joel Klatt dumps Clemson after brutal Georgia Tech loss.

College football analyst Joel Klatt admits that Clemson won't be a national championship contender after the Tigers' loss to Georgia Tech. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Joel Klatt is walking back his boldest prediction. The Fox Sports host admitted on Monday’s episode of The Joel Klatt Show that his preseason national championship pick, Clemson, is no longer viable.

“Clemson. I had them winning the national championship preseason. Yikes. I was wrong. That experience has not paid off. The blueprint didn’t work. Clemson is not a good football team right now,” Klatt said. His comments followed the Tigers’ stunning 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech.

Clemson has dropped two of its first three games, looking nothing like the contender Klatt expected. The Tigers fell to LSU in Week 1, stumbled to a sloppy win over Troy in Week 2 and then lost on a 55-yard field goal at the buzzer in Atlanta.

Georgia Tech Stuns Clemson With Late Kick

The upset capped a chaotic evening at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr drilled a 55-yard field goal as time expired, tying the longest in school history.

With no timeouts and the clock running under 20 seconds, the Yellow Jackets sprinted their field goal unit onto the field and converted.

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik passed for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Georgia Tech on Saturday. | Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Haynes King played through a lower-body injury and gave Tech life. He completed 19 of 27 passes for 216 yards, ran for 103 yards and scored on a 1-yard sneak. His touchdown and two-point conversion put Tech ahead 21-14 in the fourth quarter.

“Early in that drive, Haynes came to the sideline and said put the ball in my hand and we’ll win this thing,” coach Brent Key said. “And we did.” Georgia Tech moved to 3-0 and could crack the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2024.

Clemson’s Offensive Struggles Compound Early-Season Slide

Klatt zeroed in on Clemson’s failing offense as the reason for his pivot. Cade Klubnik threw for 207 yards with a touchdown but committed two turnovers. The sophomore quarterback also added 62 rushing yards and a short score but has been inconsistent.

“Offensively, they are struggling,” Klatt said. “Cade Klubnik hasn’t been close to a good quarterback, much less the best in college football. This is not a good offensive team. They’re 112th in scoring, under 20 points per game. That is not a single-player issue.”

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has his program off to a 1-2 start this season. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Clemson fell from No. 4 in the preseason poll and has continued sliding each week. The Tigers are now 1-2 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. With no rhythm on offense and no identity on defense, they resemble one of the most disappointing teams in the country.

Klatt’s preseason favorite is off the board, and the Tigers are left searching for answers. Clemson will try to recover at home against Syracuse, while Georgia Tech stays in Atlanta to host Temple.