Paul Finebaum emphasizes biggest problem with 'underrated' Clemson entering 2025

Clemson, a heavy favorite in the ACC and a title contender in the College Football Playoff, didn’t even make the top-five in the debut of the Coaches Poll on Monday, with the Tigers coming in at No. 6. ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Paul Finebaum both disagreed with that slotting, while Finebaum, though, at least had a reason to understand as to why they may have been there.

On ‘Get Up’ on Tuesday, Dinich and Finebaum reacted to Clemson’s rating at No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. It was one of Dinich’s hot takes made as part of the segment as she deemed them as underrated based on that ranking based on what all they have on both sides of the ball on the roster, with several players who are among the best in the sport, let alone their league, this year and are projected to be draft picks.

“Clemson is underrated. Why are we not talking more about the Clemson Tigers and Dabo Swinney?” Dinich said. “This is the year. They have all the pieces in place to return to national relevance in the College Football Playoff and make a deep run.

“You look at Cade Klubnik, their quarterback? He is a projected No. 1 pick in Jordan Reid’s latest 2026 Mock Draft. And he’s got one of the best defensive lines in the country, multiple receivers to throw it to. This is a team that should be getting more credit this preseason.”

Again, Finebaum did agree with that, also calling them underrated as well. That said, he did think the ranking had a lot to do with concerns about the Tigers from recent seasons playing into their predictions of them going into this one, especially with Clemson losing four of their five biggest games last year despite going 10-4, winning the ACC Championship, and returning to the CFP.

“Well, first of all, they’re in the top-ten so they’re getting respect,” Finebaum began. “But I’ll give Heather this one…Clemson is outstanding. I think they are underrated.

“The problem with Clemson is that they lost to Georgia badly at the beginning of last year, they lost at home to South Carolina, they looked average in their playoff game (at Texas). It’s hard to wrap one’s arm around them right now.”

Regardless of the number next to their name, Clemson looks to be among the very best teams coming into the college football season. It’s now on the Tigers to overachieve based on this specific ranking, and some of the expectations of them that it reflects, from the start of the fall beginning with their big-time opener in Death Valley.