LSU’s 2026 opener against Clemson may not carry the same national buzz it did a year ago, but that hasn’t dulled the confidence inside the program.
The Tigers will kick off the season Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, with LSU ranked No. 10 in ESPN’s preseason poll and Clemson unranked. Last year’s trip to Clemson came with far more noise - No.
9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson, a 6:30 p.m. showdown on Aug. 30, 2025, and the usual argument over which school really owns the Death Valley nickname.
LSU handled that one, 17-10, and Trey’Dez Green delivered one of the biggest plays of the night with the go-ahead 8-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
That win, though, didn’t set up the kind of season LSU fans wanted. The Tigers finished 7-6 and 3-5, and Brian Kelly was fired during the season.
Now LSU starts over with Lane Kiffin, and the opener is being treated as part of a bigger runway. The matchup with Clemson is still there, but it sits in the shadow of two early SEC games that loom large on the calendar: at No.
8 Ole Miss on Sept. 19 and at home against No. 9 Texas A&M on Sept.
Even so, Kiffin made clear last week at SEC Media Days that Clemson matters.
“The excitement of the schedule and to coach in Tiger Stadium and have the big opener against Clemson really every day pushes us to be the best,” Kiffin said.
Green sounded just as locked in when asked about the game.
“Clemson is a great team, a wonderful program, and it’s going to be a great, wonderful and magnificent game, especially in Death Valley with those wonderful fans out there,” said LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green, who caught the go-ahead 8-yard touchdown last season early in the fourth quarter at Clemson.
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, who had only two tackles in the 2025 meeting, is looking for a different kind of night this time around.
“There’s no better feeling in the world than playing a night game in Death Valley,” Weeks said. “I cannot wait to play Clemson week one.
Coach Kiffin’s welcome to Death Valley, I mean, that stadium is going to be rocking. I’m so excited.”
For senior transfer linebacker TJ Dottery, the game brings a personal layer. He followed Kiffin from Ole Miss after three seasons with the Rebels, but before that he was at Clemson.
“Definitely a disciplined team, especially under coach Swinney,” Dottery said. “A well-rounded team full of talent, and of course, some of the guys that played last year.
A lot of returning guys here played them last year, so they know what to look for. But just another opportunity to play football.
I’m excited.”
Dottery signed with Clemson as a four-star prospect out of Catholic Prep in Montgomery, Alabama, before the 2022 season. He played just 16 snaps and red-shirted. Dottery was dismissed from the team by Swinney for violating team rules two weeks before the start of fall camp in 2023, and he transferred to Ole Miss.
He said the reunion won’t be emotional for him.
“I had a great time at Clemson,” he said. “I built some great relationships with coaches and staff.
I can even call coach Swinney now. We could talk right now.
He’s awesome, and I don’t think the emotions would be too high.”
The fans in Baton Rouge may feel differently. LSU’s 102,000-seat crowd will get its first chance to make a statement this season, and the home opener offers a fresh stage for the old Death Valley debate to flare back up.
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