LSU’s 2026 opener has all the ingredients of a September spotlight game, but the biggest storyline in Baton Rouge belongs to the man on the sideline. Lane Kiffin is making his debut as LSU’s head coach on Saturday night, and the first opponent is a Clemson team that arrives with a different kind of pressure on it.
For LSU, the buildup has been anything but quiet. Between Kiffin’s arrival after a chaotic exit more than nine months ago and a summer filled with a legal fight between the school and the SEC over the eligibility of players who had already declared for the NFL Draft and spent the summer in NFL training camp, football has been fighting for attention. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has already taken aim at LSU’s efforts to add those players, calling them “embarrassing.”
Now the wait is over, and Kiffin finally gets to coach a game that counts.
Clemson, meanwhile, enters the night with a different kind of backdrop. Swinney is in his 18th full season as head coach, but the expectations around his program are lower than usual from the outside.
The Tigers are unranked in the preseason AP Poll for the first time since 2011, and they’ll also be breaking in a new quarterback in Christopher Vizzina. That gives Clemson a little something to prove as it opens the season in Baton Rouge.
The game kicks off Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET, which is 6:30 p.m. local time in Baton Rouge.
ABC will carry the national broadcast, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will work the sidelines.
For viewers without cable, the game can be streamed live on fubo, DIRECTV, or the ESPN app.
The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights from LSU vs. Clemson throughout the night as Kiffin’s first LSU game unfolds.
In Other News...
LSU Brings A Roster Controversy Into Clemson Showdown
A roster wrinkle has followed LSU into its showdown with Clemson, with a judge granting an injunction against the NCAA that opened the door for more than 40 athletes to be eligible this season. Among them are LSU players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, and their status has become part of the pregame conversation as the Tigers get ready for one of the weekends biggest games.
Lane Kiffin did not include Wright and Harris on LSUs initial 103-man roster submitted by the deadline, though he could still add them later. Speaking on ESPNs College GameDay before the Clemson matchup, Kiffin addressed what he called a difficult decision, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson's Opener Turned Into A Nightmare For One Brutal Reason
A delayed kickoff did little to ease the kind of opening Clemson wanted to avoid, and LSU made sure of it once the game finally got going. Clemson briefly nudged ahead 3-0, but the Tigers from Baton Rouge quickly took control and never looked back, rolling to a lopsided win behind an offense that piled up 644 total yards and a defense that kept Clemson bottled up for most of the night.
It was the sort of performance that turned a marquee opener into an early-season warning sign for Dabo Swinneys group. Clemson was held under 100 yards for much of the contest before finding a little more room late, while LSU kept stacking plays on both sides of the ball and added a pick-six from Jordan Ross to deepen the damage. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons LSU Opener Comes With A Roster Standoff Still Hanging
LSUs season opener against Clemson already has enough intrigue on the field, but there is another layer hanging over the matchup before either team snaps the ball. The Tigers did not list former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris on their Week 1 roster for the game, even after a recent court ruling went in their favor, leaving a notable personnel question in place as the season begins.
Clemson had warned LSU that putting the players on the field could run afoul of contract terms, and LSU still has room to add them later in the season if it chooses. For now, the situation leaves one more unresolved subplot around a game that already carries plenty of attention, especially with both players having previously played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. [Read more 🡒]