College GameDay heading to ACC-SEC showdown for Week 1 location
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ESPN’s College GameDay revealed its’ location for Week 1 of the college football season. They will be heading to Tiger Stadium to see the Clemson Tigers play the LSU Tigers.
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It’s a matchup between two of the most disappointing teams from the past season. On Lee Corso’s last appearance on College GameDay, he picked the LSU Tigers to win the national championship against Clemson, but both of them fell extremely short of expectations. The LSU Tigers won this matchup last season, defeating Clemson 17-10 in a matchup of top-10 teams.
Clemson Tigers: A Once Mighty Program
The Clemson Tigers weren’t able to capitalize on a weak ACC, going just 7-6 and 4-4 in conference. They didn’t even win their bowl game, losing to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. It was the first time since 2010 that the Tigers didn’t earn nine or more wins in the Dabo Swinney era, so the pressure is on him to right the ship in 2026. He parted ways with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley after the season, bringing back Chad Morris.
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Clemson made some major moves in the transfer portal over the offseason, something not very common in the Swinney era. They brought in transfers such as RB Chris Johnson Jr. (SMU), DE London Merritt (Colorado) and CB Elliot Washington II (Penn State). Does that get them back to their previous glory, especially after losing several players to the draft? College GameDay gets to see it first hand.
LSU Tigers: Villains of College Football
The LSU Tigers also went 7-6 and lost in their bowl game, falling to the No. 21 Houston Cougars in the Texas Bowl. Even after upsetting the Clemson Tigers on the road in Week 1, they couldn’t capitalize on that momentum.
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Their offense stagnated after a strong 2024 season, and a 49-25 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies sent them into unranked territory. Brian Kelly was fired after that loss, making way for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin to take the job.
Over the offseason, Kiffin has given the LSU Tigers a villainous reputation, with several shady deals in the transfer portal (such as with Washington QB Demond Williams) and comments about his previous job with the Rebels. College GameDay gets to see Kiffin’s home debut with the LSU Tigers, and the nation will be watching to see if Kiffin and the LSU Tigers can live up to the reputation.
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