Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut comes with the kind of opener that leaves very little room for feeling things out.
Saturday night in Baton Rouge, the No. 11 Tigers host Clemson in a season opener that already carries the weight of a national showcase.
It is the second straight year these two programs have opened against each other, and the contrast from last August is hard to miss. LSU was No. 9 then and beat No.
4 Clemson 17-10 in Clemson, S.C. This time, Clemson arrives unranked for the first time since 2011, while LSU is again carrying a top-15 label into Week 1.
But last season also proved how little the preseason noise ultimately meant. LSU and Clemson both finished 7-6 and unranked, which is part of what makes this matchup feel so loaded now: two teams trying to climb back into the national conversation, one with a new coach and a fresh wave of attention, the other trying to reset after major roster turnover.
Kiffin has already turned LSU into one of the sport’s most talked-about jobs, and his first roster in Baton Rouge comes with a transfer portal class that ranked No. 1 in the country, according to 247Sports. Former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt is the headliner among the newcomers, but LSU’s early stability may come from the other side of the ball.
Kiffin kept Blake Baker in place after Baker served as Brian Kelly’s defensive coordinator, giving LSU continuity on a unit that finished fifth in the SEC in scoring defense, sixth in pass defense and total defense, and seventh in run defense last season. The offense, meanwhile, is the side Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. will oversee, and that group has a much steeper climb after ranking last in the SEC in total offense and rush offense, 14th in scoring and 10th in passing.
"This is a really challenging opener," LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. "This is not a game you can kind of (think) well, we'll just try these things out with players and see how this freshman looks. This is a big-time matchup on the national stage."
Kiffin also said he has liked what he has seen from Leavitt in camp.
"I think that Sam has had a great camp and I'm usually pretty hard on the (evaluations) of anyone," Kiffin said. "I can't imagine it going much better for him."
Clemson, for its part, is walking into the season with a very different look after nine players were selected in the NFL draft, including quarterback Cade Klubnik. Christopher Vizzina now takes over under center, and he does so with plenty of familiarity inside the program. He is entering his fourth season at Clemson and has one career start.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said the plan does not ask Vizzina to do anything out of character.
"He doesn't have to be a superhero," Swinney said of Vizzina, who has one career start. "We just need him to do his job within the system."
Swinney also brought back Chad Morris for his third stint with the program, and his second run as offensive coordinator, with the hope of finding more balance than Clemson had a year ago. The Tigers finished 11th in the ACC in scoring and rushing, sixth in passing and eighth in total offense.
On defense, Clemson was stronger against the run than through the air, ranking third in the ACC against the run, tied for third in scoring, eighth in yards allowed per game and 11th in pass defense.
Even with the unranked label attached to his team, Swinney brushed off the notion that Clemson will be flying under the radar.
"Nobody is going to overlook Clemson," he said. "We've won too many games, we've won too many championships for people to overlook Clemson. We're going to get everybody's best shot every single week."
In Other News...
Paul Finebaum Turns Up Pressure On Clemson Before LSU
ESPNs Paul Finebaum has added another layer to the buildup around Clemsons trip to LSU, and it has as much to do with the Tigers quarterback situation as the matchup itself. Finebaum questioned whether Christopher Vizzina can handle the job after his work as a backup, while also pointing to the way other top programs have leaned on transfer quarterbacks in recent title runs.
For Clemson, the concern is obvious: the offense is under a microscope before a high-profile road test, and any uncertainty at quarterback only sharpens it. Finebaums point was less about LSU than about whether Clemson can avoid getting bogged down if Vizzina does not take a step forward, which is exactly the kind of pressure that follows a season-opening spotlight game. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Week 1 Opponent Is Suddenly Facing A Major Eligibility Fight
Clemson's Week 1 trip to LSU now carries a little more off-field intrigue than anyone expected, with the SEC and LSU locked in a dispute over player eligibility. The issue stems from a judge ruling against SEC sanctions involving players who had previously signed professional contracts, and LSU is trying to add two players who were recently released by NFL teams.
For Clemson, the immediate football task is still the same, but the backdrop has clearly shifted as the conference sorts through a disagreement that could affect the Tigers' opener. The SEC has already discussed drastic responses, including boycotting games against LSU or even expelling the program, making this one of the more unusual preseason storylines attached to a game that was supposed to be defined by what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Heads Into Death Valley With LSU Bragging Rights On The Line
LSU and Clemson are headed to Baton Rouge for another meeting in a series that has mostly belonged to the Tigers from the SEC, with LSU carrying a 4-1 edge all-time. Beyond the matchup itself, the backdrop gives the game a little extra bite: two proud programs, two fan bases that have long treated their stadium nickname as part of the brand, and plenty of reason to keep score beyond the final result.
LSU also enters this one looking different under new head coach Lane Kiffin, who has reshaped the roster with a heavy transfer influx and added quarterback Sam Leavitt among the key newcomers. For Clemson, the trip is about more than a road game. It is another chance to answer an old debate on familiar ground, where the Death Valley label has been a point of pride for both programs and the winner gets a little more bragging rights to carry away. [Read more 🡒]