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2025 College Football Predictions: 10 Matchups that will Shape the Regular Season

Joel Klatt Lead College Football Analyst Every week, it feels like the college football season is getting just a little closer and closer. I truly can’t wait for what’s in store for the 2025 regular season.  So, I decided to look at the schedule for the regular season again and try to pinpoint which 10 […]

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Every week, it feels like the college football season is getting just a little closer and closer. I truly can’t wait for what’s in store for the 2025 regular season. 

So, I decided to look at the schedule for the regular season again and try to pinpoint which 10 games will have the most impact. These aren’t necessarily the 10 best games, although some look to be epic. Rather, they’re the 10 games that I think will shape how we view the season and might have the biggest impact on the College Football Playoff.

There are plenty of games early in the season that will certainly have some sway in how things get determined in 2025, with a couple of monster matchups taking place in Week 1. Let’s start off our list with the one that I’ll call for FOX. 

It’s a rematch of one of the CFP semifinal games, with Ohio State winning that game en route to a national championship. Both teams look poised to make another deep run in 2025. In fact, there’s a chance that Texas and Ohio State might be the top two-ranked teams in the country entering Week 1. At worst, I think this will be a No. 1 vs No. 3 matchup. 

Not only will this be a monster matchup, but this will also be the first start of the Arch Manning era for Texas. This is his team and program, and he’ll get a chance to prove what he’s made of on the road against the defending champs. That’s pretty awesome.

We also don’t know who Ohio State’s quarterback will be. Is it going to be Julian Sayin? He’s incredibly talented and I’ve enjoyed watching him when I’ve seen him practice. The Buckeyes will also have new playcallers on both sides of the ball (Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia).

As for the coaching battle, Steve Sarkisian has gotten the Longhorns back to where they’ve wanted to get to for the last decade. He’s done a remarkable job, and he’s a top-five coach, but it’s time for him to take a step forward. He’s going against a top two or three coach in Ryan Day, who has to feel he is entering the season with the monkey off his back. That might be beneficial to Ohio State. 

Another Week 1 matchup that I think will feature two teams ranked in the top 10. Brian Kelly needs to win this game for LSU. Kelly went all in on the portal this offseason and is returning his quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier. But Kelly has gone 0-3 in season openers during his time in Baton Rouge, and LSU fans need to see this program progressing. It’s fair for us to ask when the breakthrough is going to happen for Kelly at LSU. I do think we’ll see that this year.

Yet, I actually feel better about Clemson between these two teams. Dabo Swinney has bet on himself over the last few years, and it feels like Clemson has reloaded for another run. I’ve got Cade Klubnik as my No. 1 quarterback entering the season and that defense is really talented.

There’s also the conference element to this game. If LSU wins this matchup, and Clemson goes on to dominate the ACC en route to a conference title, the SEC will argue that the ACC should only get one CFP participant. But the SEC also needs a giant non-conference win after how the CFP and bowl season played out for the conference last winter. 

Michigan needs a bounce-back season in Sherrone Moore’s second season after going 8-5 a year ago. The defense was fine last year, the offense was not. We know the Wolverines got Bryce Underwood, who was one of the most sought-after recruits in a long time, and this might be his first major start. This is also right before Moore will serve his self-imposed suspension. 

Brent Venables also needs a bounce-back season at Oklahoma. Everyone was excited when Venables was hired to be the Sooners’ next head coach, but now they need something on the field to feel good about. Oklahoma was able to poach quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, who I expect to help the Sooners take a step forward. But the Wolverines’ defense is going to be outstanding, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale figured things out late last season.

The winner of this game will really get a big boost ahead of conference play, and this game could also help establish the perception of the depth between the Big Ten and SEC.

This was a great game in College Station last season. We all believe in Marcus Freeman, who led Notre Dame to a national championship game appearance last season. This feels like a program that can compete at the highest level and potentially win a national championship. I’m bullish on them this season. A win against A&M likely gets Notre Dame back into the CFP with how its schedule looks after Week 3. If it loses this game, it’s another September loss for Freeman. Notre Dame lost three games at home in September over his first three seasons as head coach. 

I also really like Mike Elko and his fit at Texas A&M. He gets College Station and I think he’ll work out at Texas A&M. But he’ll have to win games like this one to prove that he’s the guy for the Aggies. 

A rematch of the Big Ten Championship Game. I think this game is bigger for Penn State than Oregon. I’ve repeated over and over again that it’s time for Penn State to beat someone it’s evenly matched with or upset a team with more talent than it has. James Franklin has done a perfect job at winning the games he’s supposed to win, which is a talent that shouldn’t be underrated. But he and Penn State have to win those matchup games, where you have to beat a team that has equal talent to you. The Nittany Lions got close to doing that last year, playing Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame close.

If Penn State can win this game, that would announce to everyone that this group is ready for the big stage and potentially make a run for a title. 

From an Oregon perspective, this is Dan Lanning’s first opportunity to show what his squad is made of after getting blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. There isn’t any shame in losing to that Ohio State team, but Oregon has to show that it has turned the page and can continue to play at a high level. If it can win at Penn State, which I think is the toughest place to play in the Big Ten, that would be saying something for Oregon.

This is a sneaky, under-the-radar one. This game is important for Illinois because the game gives them an opportunity to show they can be this year’s Indiana. Both teams could be 4-0 entering this game. If Illinois wins this game, it’d likely be 5-0, with its game against Ohio State as its only difficult game remaining. That Ohio State game doesn’t look as daunting if Illinois handles business against USC. 

Bret Bielema is building something very special at Illinois. However, they’re going to have to fight the chance of being a former afterthought that turns into the apple of everyone’s eye. Illinois doesn’t have the talent to blow everyone out, but Bielema is building something very sustainable.

As for USC, it’s pretty obvious: Lincoln Riley needs to stack some good wins. He did great early in his tenure at USC, but things got shaky over the last couple of years. If USC loses this game, it’s staring right down the barrel of another possible 7-5 season. USC has one of the best recruiting classes in the country for 2026, so it’s building momentum off the field. Now, it needs to build momentum on the field, too. 

This is an obvious one. This game is really always a great game. They could play it in a parking lot, and it would be a great game with high stakes. The winner of this game will likely be in the SEC Championship Game.

Then, you get into the implications for both teams. Is Alabama back at the level it was at with Nick Saban? This is a huge early test for Kalen DeBoer in Year 2, and Alabama’s schedule after this game is manageable. 

For Georgia, if it loses this game, we’ll wonder if the Bulldogs are slipping. It’d mark two straight losses to Alabama, with a loss in the CFP quarterfinals sandwiched between that. 

Alabama & Georgia in Joel Klatt’s top games that will shape the 2025 season

Alabama & Georgia in Joel Klatt’s top games that will shape the 2025 season

Penn State vs. Ohio State (Week 10)

This is likely another top-five matchup, which will present another opportunity for James Franklin to get a marquee win. If Penn State doesn’t beat Oregon in Week 5, there will be a ton of pressure on Franklin and the Nittany Lions when they head to Columbus, especially in a year where the Buckeyes are breaking in a new quarterback and coordinators. This is also the most experienced and talented team Franklin has had in his tenure at Penn State. It’s a big opportunity for Drew Allar to show what he’s made of.

The loser of this game will be in a precarious spot in the Big Ten title race. We’ll see how it plays out, but Penn State needed a wild loss from Ohio State against Michigan to reach the Big Ten Championship Game last season. 

LSU vs. Alabama (Week 11)

As I got to the later weeks of the season while making this list, I started predicting some outcomes from earlier games. Most of us probably think that Georgia will beat Alabama in Week 5. I think Clemson will beat LSU in Week 1.

If those two results happen, the LSU-Alabama matchup in Week 11 will be a monster game with CFP implications. I don’t know if the loser of this game can still make the CFP if it also lost its game earlier on this list. It could be a battle for the third or fourth CFP spot among SEC teams. 

And as I touched on with both teams’ inclusions earlier on this list, this is a high-stakes game for both coaches. Brian Kelly needs as many high-profile wins as he can get, and you have to think that Kalen DeBoer doesn’t have that long of a runway at Alabama. The way things finished for DeBoer in Year 1 wasn’t very Alabama-esque. 

Ohio State vs. Michigan (Week 14)

This game was obviously going to make the list. It’s a battle between the last two national championship winners. You’ve got the backstory of how this game finished last year, with Michigan trying to plant the flag at The Shoe before a fight broke out. Even though Ohio State got its national championship, it still has to listen to Michigan say, “Well, you didn’t beat us, and we won our national championship going 15-0.”

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore improved to 2-0 all-time against Ohio State with the Wolverines’ upset win in Columbus in 2024. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

This year’s game is going to be epic. Can Michigan actually win a fifth straight game against Ohio State? Thinking back to the COVID year, I didn’t think Michigan was going to win The Game for the foreseeable future. Somehow, it’s won four in a row.

There are some games that were certainly worthy of being mentioned on this list, but these are the 10 that I feel will truly shape the 2025 college football regular season. Maybe I’ll touch more on those games at a later date. 

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.

 


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IU football coach Curt Cignetti on Big Ten Network set at 2025 media day – The Daily Hoosier

Watch as IU football coach Curt Cignetti sat down for a live interview on the Big Ten Network set in connection with the 2025 conference media day. Cignetti led Indiana to an 11-2 season in 2024 and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.  He won multiple national coach of the year honors. Indiana will […]

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Watch as IU football coach Curt Cignetti sat down for a live interview on the Big Ten Network set in connection with the 2025 conference media day.

Cignetti led Indiana to an 11-2 season in 2024 and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.  He won multiple national coach of the year honors.

Indiana will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Old Dominion.

Video via the Big Ten Network.

For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.  


The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”



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Mike Locksley’s tough NIL message in locker room

Maryland HC Mike Locksley commented on the influence of NIL, noting a new sign outside the locker room that reads: “You can leave your Louis [Vuitton] belts, your car keys, and your financial statements outside of this locker room.” 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kAxLAOIJaZ — College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) July 22, 2025 The NIL era has brought unprecedented […]

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The NIL era has brought unprecedented levels of professionalization to college sports, which can sometimes create rifts in locker rooms, as some players are more highly paid than others.

At Maryland, coach Mike Locksley has taken explicit steps to mitigate those concerns. Speaking at Big Ten media days on Tuesday, Locksley revealed that he has put up a strongly worded message to his players when they enter the locker room.

“If you come to Maryland and you look outside of our locker room, there’s a sign. And that sign reads: ‘You can leave your Louis (Vuitton) belts, your car keys and your financial statements outside of this locker room, because when enter those doors, we’ll all pay the same price for success or failure,” Locksley said.

The Terrapins are coming off a 4-8 season, the worst since Locksley’s first in 2019. He acknowledged that locker room issues played a role in the team unraveling last year, which partially stemmed from the new NIL landscape.

“I own the fact that I lost my locker room,” Locksley said, per ESPN. “And this is Coach Locks, the locker room king, telling you this landscape, I had to choose between paying young players who were coming in or reward the older players that have been through the fire, three bowl wins, and I tried to do both with limited resources. And that’s what you get: a locker room with the haves and have-nots.”

Whether Maryland can get back on track to the success of eight-win seasons in 2022 and 2023 remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Locksley is emphasizing unity in a changing college football world this season.

Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.





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Brad Brownell reveals that Radford “offered more” for transfer Del Jones

Clemson basketball fans got a healthy heaping of quotes from Brad Brownell on Tuesday as he spoke to the media, and he didn’t disappoint. Obviously the 2024-25 season ended on a sour note with the Tigers falling against McNeese in the first round, and they were forced to replace essentially the entire roster. Chase Hunter, […]

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Clemson basketball fans got a healthy heaping of quotes from Brad Brownell on Tuesday as he spoke to the media, and he didn’t disappoint.

Obviously the 2024-25 season ended on a sour note with the Tigers falling against McNeese in the first round, and they were forced to replace essentially the entire roster. Chase Hunter, Viktor Lakhin, Ian Schieffelin, Jaeden Zackery, Chauncey Wiggins, and Del Jones were all key players who either entered the NBA Draft, graduated, transferred, or even joined the football team.

The Tigers were forced to hit the transfer portal hard and that’s exactly what Brownell did.

Unfortunately, his players did the same as one of his most intriguing first-year players decided to hop in the portal and look for a new home. Jones, a freshman guard, was expected to be the future of the backcourt, but he shockingly hit the portal and landed at Radford.

Brownell explained why that happened: Radford just offered more money.

This is a tough pill to swallow for several reasons, but the most obvious has to be the fact that Radford out-bid Clemson for a key player. That should never happen, and it shows the monetary discrepancy between the basketball and football programs.

It’s not easy for those Clemson hoops fans and purists who believe the program should be among the best in the nation considering the resources the school has.

Radford just offered him more NIL money, and Clemson couldn’t match it because of their allotted pool for the team. He opted to make more money with a smaller program where he’ll undoubtedly be the star and play 30-plus minutes eventually. Jones was Radford’s top priority and Clemson just couldn’t match that.

Hopefully the Tigers can be big spenders on the hardwood in the near future.





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Brian Santiago’s leadership council built for new college era – Deseret News

This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each week. BYU’s new athletic director Brian Santiago penciled in a new leadership council to lead the Cougar sports programs into the next decade, addressing promotions for stability and adding successful businessman Travis Hansen to the […]

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This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each week.

BYU’s new athletic director Brian Santiago penciled in a new leadership council to lead the Cougar sports programs into the next decade, addressing promotions for stability and adding successful businessman Travis Hansen to the fold.

The moves are designed to address challenges of NIL and revenue sharing as BYU doubled its athletic budget the past three years. The layers of leadership are to help Santiago find roles amongst a newly shuffled staff to take over many of his former duties. The hiring of Hansen is huge. BYU is lucky to have him onboard because he had NBA and college offers.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

In this piece, Tad Walch gained access to BYU’s top leadership and broke down what this chaotic world of money in athletics means for the Cougars in coming seasons. It is the most comprehensive explanation of the money you’ll find.

Question of the week

With Jake Retzlaff withdrawing and transferring to Tulane, where should BYU’s collective and revenue-sharing money that was targeted for Retzlaff be invested? Looking at On3 Sports evaluation of quarterbacks in the Big 12, TCU QB Josh Hoover is at $2.4 million, Kansas State’s Avery Johnson is at $1.6 million and ASU’s Sam Leavitt $3.1 million. It doesn’t take much imagination to place the money planned for Retzlaff at BYU at around $1 million for a returning senior starting QB.

Jay Drew: Longtime readers will know that if there is one general statement about college football that I have harped on for years, it is that by far the most important position in all of college sports, let alone football, is the quarterback. It doesn’t matter how good your defense is, if your quarterback is below average, eventually you will get scored upon.

Just look at Utah last year.

So that’s why I am saying that all the money invested in Jake Retzlaff should go to whichever QB earns the starting nod in 2025, be it McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourget or the dark horse, Bear Bachmeier. Of those three, it is reasonably safe to assume that Bachmeier is making the most NIL money at the present time.

The former Stanford signee/spring practice participant didn’t come to BYU for free. But if he is as good as advertised, and wins the starting job either in fall camp or midway through the season, he deserves a pay raise.

Who will win the job? That’s the most-asked question now that we have learned Retzlaff is headed to Tulane (along with several other transfer portal quarterbacks). It should be an interesting August in New Orleans. As for the month in Provo, I’m thinking Hillstead is the front-runner — but don’t count out Bachmeier. He has the highest ceiling of the group.

Dick Harmon: While we don’t understand all the science of NIL and revenue sharing and BYU is very private, the remaining QB room at BYU is likely down the scale from what Retzlaff was due. BYU did not get Bear Bachmeier to come to Provo without an attractive offer a four-star QB who’d committed to Stanford would demand. So, it would appear Jake’s money should go to the starter. One could argue it should be split up, divided amongst the three. A starter in Game 1 might not be the starter of Game 4, so how do you assign Retzlaff’s money to the starter? Just do it?

This might be a dilemma reserved for later in the fall, or the season if allowed, but we’re assuming the contracts will be locked in before the season begins.

Another thought is that some of Retzlaff’s money could be given to QBs, but also divvied up between LJ Martin, Chase Roberts or a stud on defense like Isaiah Glasker or Jack Kelly. The NIL money, however, will likely go to whomever the NIL folks (collective) wants it to go to. Revenue sharing, however, is something new deputy Travis Hansen does have a say in as to where it will go and how much as he evaluates, compares and makes a recommendation to the AD.

BYU running back LJ Martin scores a touchdown during the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Cougar tales

With top recruit AJ Dybantsa making headlines all over the world the past few weeks, he appeared on “BYU Sports Nation” and explained what his world has been like this summer. Seth Davis predicts Dybantsa’s class of recruits will be strongest and deepest in years.

From the archives

From the X-verse

Extra points

Fanalysts

Comments from Deseret News readers:

This must really irritate the Y-haters (aka Uoobs). Back when BYU was independent, they still competed despite recruiting classes ranked in the 70s and 80s and no money. Now, as a member of the Big 12 with real funding and momentum, BYU is pulling in recruiting classes in the low 20s. The future’s looking bright.

— Wise-sage

Recruits want to play with a winner. BYU’s record and win over Colorado in the bowl game last season goes a long way. Utah has to prove themselves again after last season. Also, what is BYU offering transfers and recruits? Money still talks, and means a lot to young players. Utah has made big moves bringing in a new offensive guru and his star QB, we’ll see how that shakes out.

Montgemryruss

Up next

  • Aug. 2  | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Blue/White game
  • Aug. 6 | 8 p.m. | women’s soccer | Southern Utah
  • Aug. 9 | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Utah Tech
  • Aug. 14 | 7 p.m | women’s soccer | Minnesota
  • Aug. 18 | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Cal Poly





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Illini Soccer Announces Full 2025 Schedule

Story Links CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin has announced the teams full schedule on Wednesday (July 23). The schedule features two exhibitions, 11 road contests and seven home matches in Demirjian Park. The Fighting Illini prepare for the regular season with a pair of exhibition matches, the […]

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin has announced the teams full schedule on Wednesday (July 23). The schedule features two exhibitions, 11 road contests and seven home matches in Demirjian Park.

The Fighting Illini prepare for the regular season with a pair of exhibition matches, the first against Marquette at home on Aug. 7 and the next on the road at IU Indianapolis on Aug. 10.

The Orange and Blue begin the regular season with two road trips. First, a trip up north to Chicago to take on UIC in the season opener on Aug. 14 before they head east to face the Bowling Green Falcons on Aug. 17.

Illinois’ home opener will be on Aug. 25 against Boston College before their three-match road trip beginning with DePaul on Aug. 28, Kentucky on Aug. 31 and ending with Missouri on Sept. 4.

The Illini close out non-conference play with a home match against Valparaiso on Sept. 7. The first Big Ten test comes at home on Sept. 12 when Indiana makes a trip into Demirjian Park.

The following weekend the Fighting Illini travel out west to Oregon on Sept. 18, a match that will be on BTN, and to Washington on Sept. 21.

They return home to play Penn State on Sept. 25 and Ohio State three days later on Sept. 28. Their next road contest is at Maryland on Oct. 5 before they finish out their home slate with Rutgers on Oct. 9 and Purdue on Oct. 12.

The Orange and Blue end their regular season with a three-match road trip that starts at Northwestern on Oct. 16, they then travel northeast to Michigan State on Oct. 19 and end their regular season at Michigan on Oct. 26.

2025 ILLINOIS SOCCER SCHEDULE

All Times Central

Thursday, Aug. 7 – vs. Marquette (Exh.) – 6 PM

Sunday, Aug. 10 – at IU Indy (Exh.) – 1 PM

Thursday, Aug. 14 – at UIC – 6 PM

Sunday, Aug. 17 – at Bowling Green – 1 PM

Monday, Aug. 25 – vs. Boston College – 6 PM

Thursday, Aug. 28 – at DePaul – 4 PM

Sunday, Aug. 31 – at Kentucky – 1 PM

Thursday, Sept. 4 – at Missouri – 7 PM

Sunday, Sept. 7 – at Valparaiso – 1 PM

Friday, Sept. 12 – vs. Indiana – 6 PM


Thursday, Sept. 18 – at Oregon – 8 PM

Sunday, Sept. 21 – at Washington – 3 PM

Thursday, Sept 25 – vs. Penn State – 7 PM

Sunday, Sept. 28 – vs. Ohio State – 1 PM


Sunday, Oct. 5 – at Maryland – 11 AM

Thursday, Oct. 9 – vs. Rutgers – 7 PM

Sunday, Oct. 12 – vs. Purdue – 1 PM


Thursday, Oct. 16 – at Northwestern – 6:30 PM

Sunday, Oct. 19 – at Michigan State – 12 PM

Sunday, Oct. 26 – at Michigan – 12 PM



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NCAA Reaches Deal Regarding NIL Collectives: The Buzz

If you thought NIL collectives were gone after the recent NCAA house settlement came to a semi-conclusion, you were absolutely wrong. A recent On3 report stated that NCAA officials came to some sort of agreement with power conferences that will make an impact on the use of NIL collectives and their ability to pay athletes. […]

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If you thought NIL collectives were gone after the recent NCAA house settlement came to a semi-conclusion, you were absolutely wrong.

A recent On3 report stated that NCAA officials came to some sort of agreement with power conferences that will make an impact on the use of NIL collectives and their ability to pay athletes. This decision comes after the settlement made it clear that collectives would be done and any player payment would be filtered through the College Sports Commission.

So, what does that mean?

Well, in simple terms, it’s very possible that everyone’s favorite NIL collectives that help power conference programs fund major recruiting commitments may not be going away. This was a major cause of debate and led many to believe that collectives made the playing field uneven, allowing the best teams to land the best players continuously.

For the Tigers, the Every True Tiger fund was utilized for that same purpose. Its current status is unknown, but it could continue to make an impact for Missouri athletes if this truly comes to fruition.

36 days.





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