Clemson’s season is here, and the Tigers walk straight into one of the toughest openings imaginable: a Saturday night trip to No. 11 LSU in Baton Rouge.
The game kicks at 7:30 p.m. and will air on ABC, with LSU listed as a 10-point favorite on the VegasInsider.com consensus line. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives LSU a 75.3% chance to win. It’s also only the third time since 2014 that Clemson has been a double-digit underdog.
Health-wise, Clemson is still a bit of a mystery because schools don’t have to release injury reports for non-conference games. Dabo Swinney said Tuesday he had “nothing new” to report from a season-ending injury standpoint, and “most hands are on deck.”
“We’ve got a couple guys that are battling to get back for the game,” he said.
Freshman defensive back Polo Anderson, who was expected to contribute, tore his ACL in fall camp and is out for the year. Defensive tackle Vic Burley, who remains indefinitely suspended, likely won’t be available either.
The setting in Baton Rouge looks like classic September football, too. AccuWeather is calling for a “mostly cloudy and humid” evening at Tiger Stadium, with temperatures around 75 degrees, a “real feel” of 84, plus a 24% chance of rain and a 6% chance of thunderstorms at night.
This matchup is loaded with warning signs for Clemson. LSU has been nearly unbeatable in home night games at Tiger Stadium, going 147-25 (.855) since 2000. Clemson, meanwhile, has dropped three straight season openers and four of its last five.
That said, the Tigers do have one thing going for them: nobody outside the locker room expects much. Clemson is a unanimous underdog, and that can matter in Week 1, especially for a team that felt the weight of expectations early last season.
There’s also the distraction factor on LSU’s side. Swinney has called LSU’s attempt to add NFL players to its roster “embarrassing,” and Clemson certainly won’t be bothered by the noise surrounding its opponent.
Still, the challenge on the field is enormous. Clemson is breaking in a new starting quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, and new starters and/or transfers at safety, offensive line and defensive line. That’s a lot to sort out before facing a team like LSU in its own stadium.
The comparison from last season isn’t encouraging either. Clemson trailed No.
1 Georgia 6-0 at halftime of its opener and lost 34-3. This one could follow a similar shape, just with more Clemson points.
Score prediction: LSU 31, Clemson 17.
Clemson’s 2026 schedule also has a few more notable dates after Saturday:
Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern, 7:30 p.m. (ACCN)
Sept. 19: vs. UNC, noon (ESPN)
Sept. 25 (Friday): at Cal, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 3: vs. No. 7 Miami
Oct. 10: OPEN
Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
Oct. 31: at Florida State
Nov. 7: at Syracuse
Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
Nov. 20 (Friday): at Duke, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
In Other News...
Clemson Suddenly Has A Defensive End Battle Fans Need To Watch
Clemsons defensive end room has gone from a position of concern to one of the most intriguing parts of the roster, and Tom Allen is treating it like a strength. The defensive coordinator pointed to seniors Will Heldt and Jahiem Lawson as the leaders of a group he called the teams deepest, with Heldt coming off a season in which he led the Tigers in tackles for loss and sacks and Lawson showing real production before an injury slowed him down.
What makes the battle worth watching is that the competition does not stop with the two veterans. London Merritt, Darien Mayo, C.J. Wesley, Armon Mason and Caden Story have all taken steps forward and are expected to be part of the rotation this season, giving Clemson a long list of options to sort through. For a defense that wants disruption off the edge, the question is not whether there will be talent there, but which names will separate themselves once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons LSU Opener Just Got A Lot More Complicated
LSUs roster picture for its opener against Clemson became a lot less settled when a Louisiana judge granted a temporary injunction that allows former NFL preseason players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to remain eligible while their legal case plays out. The ruling puts LSU in position to have to carry both players for the upcoming game, even as the SEC continues to challenge the school over its recruiting of former professional players.
The conference has already taken LSU to court over the issue, and attorneys for the SEC plan to appeal the injunction. For Clemson, it adds another layer of uncertainty to a season opener that was already going to draw plenty of attention, with a possible eligibility fight now hanging over a matchup that had not needed any more complications. [Read more 🡒]
Dabos Clemson Reset Starts With A Staff Shakeup Fans Will Notice
Dabo Swinneys offseason reset arrived with a staff shakeup that Clemson fans will notice long before the 2026 season kicks off. After a 7-6 finish in 2025, the Tigers blended internal promotion with outside experience, elevating Tajh Boyd and Thomas Allen while also adding Freddie Kitchens as a volunteer offensive assistant and naming Dennis Love as director of football strength and conditioning.
The two most eye-catching moves, though, were on the offensive and special teams sides, where Clemson turned to familiar and proven names to help steady the programs next phase. Swinneys latest round of changes suggests a deliberate attempt to reshape the operation from several angles at once, and the real question now is how quickly those additions can translate into a cleaner, more functional team by the time fall arrives. [Read more 🡒]