Heather Dinich predicts Clemson will beat LSU in Week 1 matchup behind Cade Klubnik

The college football season is rapidly approaching. With that, ESPN reporter Heather Dinich is getting more excited about the Week 1 matchup between the Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers.

Dinich would appear on Get Up on Monday morning. There, she broke down what to expect from the game, predicting that Clemson is going to win the game and become a national championship threat on the back of quarterback Cade Klubnik.

“Clemson will beat LSU in the season opener and be a serious contender for the national title,” Heather Dinich said. “I say that because Clemson is loaded. They return 80 percent of their production from last year, more than any team in the FBS.”

Cade Klubnik came to Clemson as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022. By the end of the 2022 season, he’d take over as the Tigers’ starting quarterback. In each season since then, he’s shown some growth, which would culminate in leading Clemson to an ACC Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff last season.

On a talented team, with another step forward, which Dinich expects to happen, Klubnik could be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That goes a massive way in both winning a key early-season game and making a deep run into the postseason.

“Cade Klubnik will be better,” Dinich said. “He’s got another season under his belt with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. He’s coming off one of the best seasons in school history and has his top three receivers returning.”

In 2024, Klubnik played in 14 games and completed 63.4 percent of his passes. He would throw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions. He also rushed for 463 yards and another seven touchdowns.

Paul Finebaum feels a loss to LSU makes it ‘hard to claim you’re a big time program’ for Clemson

The game between Clemson and LSU is going to be among the biggest non-conference games all season. Given when it’s being played, there is going to be a lot derived from what happens in those games. For analyst Paul Finebaum, even before the game, he believes Clemson needs a win to claim to be a big-time program.

“I don’t think there’s any question that LSU at Clemson is the game that we’ll be locked into,” Finebaum said. “There’s so many Shakespearean stories connected to that game. If Clemson loses, it will only be their fourth straight SEC loss. It’s kind of hard to claim you’re a big-time program when you can’t beat the SEC. And conversely, Brian Kelly, we’ve talked about it all week. If he loses that game, the drama intensifies.”

LSU will travel to Clemson’s Death Valley on August 30th. A primetime game, kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.