Clemson against LSU is a great way to start the 2026 NCAAF season.
Clemson will take on LSU to begin the 2026 NCAAF season. It's a highly anticipated game to start the Lane Kiffin era for LSU.
The Clemson-LSU game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ESPN's "College GameDay" has chosen Baton Rouge as its Week 1 destination. Rece Davis, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit are expected to be on site for the pregame show.
Clemson struggled in 2025, going just 7-6. Dabo Swinney's group lost the Pinstripe Bowl to Penn State, 22-10.
However, Clemson tied a program record with nine NFL draft selections last month, reigniting conversations about how the Tigers finished 7-6 last season with a roster that talented.
In his first comments since the 2026 NFL Draft, Swinney said Monday from ACC spring meetings, "It's pretty well documented we grossly underachieved last year. That isn't a news flash. We just keep beating that dead horse to death. We're onto the new season. We grossly underachieved and underperformed and did not coach and play to our potential. We've had other seasons where we had nobody drafted and won 10-plus games. That's football. It didn't work last year. If you do this long enough, you can have a year where it just doesn't work. I don't care if you're Roy Williams or Coach K or Dabo Swinney, it doesn't matter. It's what you do moving forward. But I think perspective is important."
Swinney has been at Clemson since 2008. He is 187-53 in the regular season and 12-10 in bowl games.
It will be fascinating to see how Clemson does in 2026 after losing QB Cade Klubnik to the NFL. The Jets drafted Klubnik.
"At Clemson, we always have to have a chip on our shoulder," Swinney said. "It just is what it is. We don't have the same alumni base that other schools we have played and had to compete with over the years have. That's just the way it is."
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