LSU may be a double-digit favorite Saturday night, but Nick Saban does not sound ready to dismiss Clemson as simply another visitor walking into a hostile Tiger Stadium.
In fact, Saban believes Dabo Swinney has a team capable of taking a considerable step forward in 2026. Clemson’s combination of experience, defensive talent and skill at wide receiver caught his attention ahead of the 7:30 p.m. matchup on ABC.
“I also think Clemson is going to be a lot better than they were,” Saban said on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. “I think they’ve got a lot of returning players. I think they were young last year. I think they’ve got a little more maturity as a team. I think Dabo is a really good coach. Having a new offensive coordinator, I know he has
a new quarterback, but they have really good players at some critical positions, especially on defense. And the receiver corps. I do think they’ll be a lot better.”
That could make Clemson an uncomfortable opening opponent for an LSU program experiencing considerably more change.
Lane Kiffin has generated plenty of excitement entering his debut, but Saban pointed to one potential concern hidden beneath LSU’s aggressive roster overhaul. The Tigers brought in 53 new players, meaning they also had to replace the same number from the previous roster.
“What I would say about this game in particular is that the people will be very passionate. Very excited. Lane has created a lot of excitement,” Saban said. “Rightfully so. He’s a good coach. He’s got a great chance to do great things for LSU and the state of Louisiana. And we’re certainly rooting for him because we have a lot of good friends in Louisiana. But at the same time, I think they’ve done a lot to revamp the roster. They have 53 new players on their team…But there’s also 53 guys that aren’t there anymore. You lose them on the back-end.
“People don’t talk about that very much. So that can affect the depth of your team. Whether they have the depth on their team to be a real contender, I think remains to be seen, but I do like their team. I think they’re going to be better than people think.”
Clemson will still have to deal with one of the loudest settings in college football. More than 100,000 fans are expected in Baton Rouge, with LSU currently favored by 10 points.
Saban knows that environment better than most, but his message from his own time at LSU was that a roaring crowd cannot compensate for what happens between the lines.
“I actually put a sign up in the locker room that said ‘It’s not the atmosphere in Tiger Stadium, it’s the Tigers in Tiger Stadium that make the difference,’” he said. “So I wanted to make the players know that they still had to impact the game, and play high-quality football if they were going to have a chance to be successful. And that the crowd was not going to make any plays in the game. And that we needed to be responsible for making those plays.
Stephen A. Smith expects an upset in Baton Rouge for Clemson vs. LSU
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 3, 2026
📸 Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con https://t.co/b6WVPIsbRa pic.twitter.com/PUwnrHbbox
“I know when there’s this kind of hype for a game…Lane’s first game. New era, all that kind of stuff, I hope that that doesn’t affect LSU’s team.”
That last point could work in Clemson’s favor. Most of the attention surrounding Saturday night will naturally center on Kiffin’s LSU debut and the spectacle surrounding it.
Clemson, meanwhile, arrives with considerably less pressure and with a roster Saban believes is ready to make a jump. For a team entering Baton Rouge as a 10-point underdog, that is a much different outlook than the betting line alone would suggest.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: College football legend Nick Saban has high expectations for Clemson
