Before the Roar: LSU vs. Clemson Week 1 Preview
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The Fighting Tigers of LSU are ready to get the 2026 season underway, and they will do so under the bright lights of the Cathedral of College Football, the real Death Valley and Tiger Stadium.
Lane Kiffin’s squad will welcome Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers to town for a primetime Week 1 matchup in the place “Where Opponents’ Dreams Come to Die”
Game Notes:
Time and Date: Saturday, September 5 at 6:49 p.m. CT
Network: ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge)
Radio: LSU Sports Radio Network (Chris Blair, Jacob Hester, Gordy Rush)
Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Spread: LSU -10 O/U 50.5
ESPN FPI: LSU 75.3% chance of winning
New Era in Baton Rouge:
After a bit of a up and down tenure under Brian Kelly, LSU decided to make a big splash and pull a head coach from one of its conference rivals as they hired Lane Kiffin. Now, it’s no secret that Kiffin comes with a lot of controversy throughout his career, but nobody can deny the amount of offensive excellence that he brings to the locker room. Pair him with his offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr and the Tigers will likely have one of the top offenses in the entire country.
The expectations are sky high for the Bayou Bengals, and of course being surrounded by the current controversy involving professional players returning to college for their fifth season of eligibility doesn’t help. LSU will need to come out of the gate early and firing on all cylinders because there will be plenty of eyes on Death Valley Saturday night.
Clemson turns the offense to Vizzina:
After an up and down year where the Tigers went 7-6 and finished 8th in the ACC, Dabo Swinney needed to get a shot in the arm. So now, he turned his offense over to Christopher Vizzina, a senior who has patiently waited for this opportunity. Vizzina has a nice arm, and he’s built well at 6’4”, but there are still so many questions that need to be answered and can really only be answered once the play starts. However, having a running back like Jay Haynes and receivers such as TJ Moore, Tyler Brown, and more will certainly help an inexperienced player.
Vizzina will have to get acclimated quickly as Tiger Stadium is sold out and will be electric on Saturday night.
Block out the noise, spot the ball:
Ever since the season ended, LSU has been in the headlines. First, it was hiring Lane Kiffin, who wasn’t allowed to coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Then, it was all the drama with securing Sam Leavitt and avoiding Brenden Sorsby. Now, it’s an eligibility lawsuit involving former professional players being allowed to play under the new 5 for 5 rule. At every turn, LSU has been faced with adversity and drama. Now, it’s time to settle it.
Bring your high powered offense and NASTY defense to the forefront of college football for the RIGHT reasons and make people talk about something other than the noise.
Turn the TVs off and put the newspapers away, strap the shoulder pads in, and let the play on the field answer all of the questions. Spot the Ball.
LSU vs. Clemson will take place Saturday night at 6:49 p.m. on ABC. Keep up with the game on ATVS’ website and socials.
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