Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut could hardly have gone any better, and the national reaction has matched the scoreline. After the Tigers hammered Clemson 51-10 on Saturday night, the conversation around Baton Rouge flipped fast, with several prominent voices now treating LSU like a legitimate title threat.
The win was never close. LSU led 31-3 at halftime in Death Valley, and the Tigers were sharp on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle.
Offensively, Sam Leavitt and Co. were rolling. Defensively, LSU strangled Clemson, holding the Tigers to -1 rushing yards and fewer than 50 total yards on offense.
Kiffin said afterward that the performance reflected what he had seen coming out of camp.
"We've got really good players over there and that's what I told the team. What you did is what I said last week based off the way you came out of camp.
You have a chance to be really good. You've got really good players that really fit well together.
Now we've got to do a lot of things in order to keep winning, but that's exciting," Kiffin said on Saturday.
"They should be excited about that. That's what I told them.
Be ready to go back to work tomorrow, and we've got to improve, and we asked them a lot. It's a sacrifice to play here and an investment in how we do things here and how we work, and so I was glad it paid off for them in the first game so they could see that it works."
From there, the praise snowballed.
ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers called LSU the best team in college football, pointing to the roster and what he saw against Clemson. "LSU has the best roster in college football," Rodgers said. "I believe after watching them against Clemson, they are the best team in college football."
He added, "This team is absolutely loaded, and I think they got maybe a B performance out of their quarterback Sam Leavitt," Rodgers added. "I think he can only be better."
Robert Griffin III went even further, putting LSU at No. 1.
"LSU is the No. 1 team in the country," Griffin said. "They just dominated Clemson.
Best game versus the best opponent. We know more about them than any other team in the country right now."
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt focused on Leavitt’s impact, especially on the ground.
"All summer I thought to myself, you know what, we're going to turn on the TV against Clemson and we're going to see one very talented team. That's exactly what we saw," Klatt said. "Sam Leavitt was electric, particularly with his legs."
Paul Finebaum’s take was just as blunt. The SEC Network voice said LSU now looks like a real national championship contender.
"I came away thinking LSU is now a national championship contender, because they looked every bit the part," Finebaum said Sunday morning. "We were debating before the season, are they 8-4, 9-3, can Lane (Kiffin) get them to the Playoffs at 10-2? There's no question now."
Stephen A. Smith added his own color to the blowout, describing it as the kind of loss that leaves a mark.
"It's the kind of beatdown where the Clemson football team, they actually should be given the week off from class," Smith said. "They should actually be confined to football facilities.
Bring the food to them. Uber Eats and all of that.
Bring it right there. Don't let them out."
"They shouldn't want to show their face to anybody. Not just on campus, but in the state of South Carolina," Smith continued.
"Give them the week off class. Don't even let them go to class."
After one night, LSU has gone from a fresh storyline to the center of the national title conversation.
In Other News...
LSUs Ex-Pro Fight Just Ran Into A Bigger Roster Problem
LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]