Joel Klatt walks back preseason college football national championship pick

With the clock running and no timeouts, Georgia Tech rushed its field-goal unit onto the field and Aidan Birr drilled a 55-yard fire-drill kick as time expired. The upset ended Clemson’s nine-game series winning streak and pushed Tech to 3–0 behind quarterback Haynes King.

While Klatt made his pick prior to the start of the season, the signs of Clemson faltering were clear from the jump. The Tigers opened with a 17–10 home loss to LSU, mustering just 31 rushing yards on 20 attempts. They then needed a second-half surge to escape Troy 27–16 a week later. On Saturday in Atlanta, they fell behind 13–0, rallied to two second-half leads behind Cade Klubnik’s rushing score and a strike to Bryant Wesco Jr., and were tied at 21–21 before Birr’s winner. Through three games, Clemson sits 1–2, and despite all three being decided in the fourth quarter — the Tigers haven't exactly played inspiring football.

Klatt had already signaled concern earlier in the week, but he still picked the Tigers to win this week, 31-17. He described it as a "get-right" spot for Clemson and Dabo Swinney. After going down early it was clear that it would not be that type of game for them.

Cade Klubnik’s play has been full of inconsistencies that have the Tigers at 1–2. The senior is 52-of-88 passing (59.1%) for 633 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, and he’s added 59 rushing yards and a score on 30 attempts. Klubnik went 19-for-38 for 230 yards with one interception in the 17–10 loss to LSU. He then went 18-for-24 for 196 yards and two touchdowns (one pick) as Clemson rallied past Troy, 27–16. Then, in the loss to GT, he posted 15-for-26 for 207 passing yards, 62 rushing yards and a rushing TD on 17 carries.

Clemson returns home next week to host Syracuse on Sept. 20. October brings back-to-back road trips to North Carolina (Oct. 4) and Boston College (Oct. 11), followed by a return to Memorial Stadium for SMU (Oct. 18). The Tigers then close with four of six at home: Duke (Nov. 1), Florida State (Nov. 8), a Friday night visit to Louisville (Nov. 14), Furman (Nov. 22), and the rivalry trip to South Carolina (Nov. 29)