LSU football is heading into a fresh start, and the ticket market is already reflecting the buzz around it.
Lane Kiffin takes over in his first season with the Tigers after a messy 7-6 campaign that ended with Brian Kelly’s firing in late October. LSU then went to work on the roster, landing a recruiting haul that included former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. That mix of upheaval and star power has turned the 2026 slate into one of the more compelling tickets in the sport.
The home schedule is loaded with big names and a few bargain buys. LSU will play all of its home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., with seven teams coming to town: Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M, McNeese State, Mississippi State, Alabama and Texas.
The season opens at home on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET.
LSU beat Clemson 17-10 last year. From there, the Tigers stay home again the following week for Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
ET, with tickets starting at $20.
One of the biggest dates on the calendar comes quickly after that. LSU heads to Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
ET, and Kiffin’s return to Vaught Hemingway Stadium will also decide the Magnolia Bowl trophy. Dating back to 2020, no team has won the trophy back-to-back, and Ole Miss took it last year.
Back in Baton Rouge, Texas A&M visits on Saturday, Sept. 26, with tickets starting at $146. Then comes the cheapest LSU home game on the board: McNeese State on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:45 p.m. ET, where tickets start at just $18.
The rest of the schedule keeps the pressure on. LSU goes to Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 10, then hosts Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct.
- The Tigers travel to Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Noon ET before returning home for Alabama on Saturday, Nov.
- LSU has dropped its last three games against the Crimson Tide.
The final stretch includes Texas at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, a trip to Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 21, and the regular-season finale at Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 28. LSU’s cheapest road game is that Arkansas matchup, with tickets starting at $81.
There’s also a preseason number to keep in mind. While no official ranking has been released, ESPN recently slotted LSU at No. 10 in the country entering the season.
In Other News...
Two LSU Returners Are Feeling The Heat Entering Kiffin's First Camp
Fall camp is arriving with a different kind of urgency around LSU, because Lane Kiffins first roster has plenty of new faces and not many jobs that look settled. Up front, the Tigers need a cleaner, tougher season from an offensive line that had too many rough stretches a year ago, and the returning names in that group know they are being judged on more than just experience.
Weston Davis is one of the clearest examples of how quickly the pressure can shift when a staff changes and the competition gets deeper. He and Braelin Moore are trying to turn last seasons inconsistency into something more dependable, while the receiver room is crowded enough that every practice rep matters. Tre Brown is part of that traffic jam after transferring in, and with so many wideouts in the mix, LSUs early camp work will go a long way toward sorting out who earns trust first. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin's LSU Exit Drama Is Drawing An Uncomfortable New Comparison
Lane Kiffins move to LSU has already created one of the stranger coaching transitions in recent SEC memory, and the comparison now hanging over it is an uncomfortable one. Kiffin accepted the Tigers job after his six-year run at Ole Miss, then watched the fallout keep him from coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff, a twist that has kept the story attached to him even after the hire became official.
Jon Sumralls path added another layer when Florida hired him away from Tulane and still allowed him to coach the Green Wave in the playoff opener before that season ended. The two coaches discussed their situations at SEC Media Days, along with the broader coaching search process, and the contrast between the exits has only sharpened the scrutiny around how these high-stakes moves are handled when a season is still alive. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Shared A Wild Nick Saban Story LSU Fans Will Love
Nick Saban has plenty of scar tissue from going back to Baton Rouge as Alabamas coach, and Lane Kiffin knows exactly why that history still resonates around LSU. Kiffin talked through Sabans advice about handling ugly road environments, the kind of mindset a visiting coach needs when the crowd is already against him before kickoff. For LSU fans, it is the sort of old SEC war story that still lands because it comes with all the baggage of Sabans years on the other sideline.
Kiffins own return to Ole Miss figures to bring a similar kind of heat, and Saban apparently made sure he understood the assignment. The conversation even veered into one of those only-in-college-football anecdotes about Sabans wife trying to counteract the bad vibes around LSU games, which only adds to the legend of those trips. However Kiffins next visit unfolds, it sounds like Saban believes he may need all the help he can get. [Read more 🡒]