Can Clemson Upset LSU? Predicting Epic Week 1 Showdown

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The new college football season has already started, but Week 1 of the year is now upon us.

One of the more interesting games on the schedule comes from Baton Rouge, where the Clemson Tigers are taking on the LSU Tigers. This will be the second matchup of the home-and-home series that the two teams agreed to play.

Last season, Clemson hosted LSU to open the year, dropping the game 17-10. Now, all eyes will be on Tiger Stadium for the rematch, with Clemson looking to pull off the big upset.

Adding more intrigue to this game is the fact that it will be the debut of Lane Kiffin at LSU, putting more eyes on the contest. But Clemson has been trying to stay the course as the game has drawn closer, with head coach Dabo Swinney wanting his guys to focus on the field.

Entering the game, the big question is whether Clemson can actually pull off the upset of LSU. LSU is the better team coming into the matchup, but as we saw last season, anything can happen on a Saturday night.

For Clemson to pull off the win, they will first need to silence the rowdy crowd at Tiger Stadium. Oftentimes, this gets called an x-factor, but playing in Baton Rouge is no joke.

Tiger Stadium is one of the toughest places to play, especially at night. So, Clemson has been trying its best to replicate the crowd noise heading into the contest.

History isn't on the side of Clemson, as LSU has won 21 straight nonconference games at Tiger Stadium and 70 of its last 71. In night games since 2019, LSU is 31-5, showing dominance.

But Clemson isn't letting that get them down. Swinney has talked about his guys needing to play harder all offseason long, and this is where they can prove themselves.

Quarterback Christopher Vizzina will be making the second start of his career. But he has seen some game action.

Last season, he played in five games, throwing for 406 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. If Clemson is going to win, they are going to need Vizzina to limit the turnovers and play a clean game.

Clemson's wide receivers could create some trouble for LSU, with T.J. Moore being the top option. Moore caught 52 passes for 837 yards last season, and he could be relied upon by Vizzina.

The team also has a deep tight end group that could look to attack LSU in different ways. But they will need to get going early against a tough LSU defnse who is ready to prove itself.

If Clemson could come away with a win here, it would set them up to have a strong year after a 7-5 finish last season. This team has talked the talk all offseason, and now on a national stage, they have a chance to back it up.

But there are still a lot of things to overcome, and it could be tough for Clemson to put together a full 60-minute performance. Clemson can pull off the upset, and there is no reason to think that they won't hang around.

In the end, I think LSU is able to win the game, but it will be much closer than some pundits are predicting.

Prediction: LSU 30, Clemson 20

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