Is there an upset to be found on the 2026 college football schedule for Week 1, and is it Clemson vs. LSU at Tiger Stadium?
Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll and is unranked in the AP Top 25. LSU is ranked No. 13 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP poll heading into Lane Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge.
Junior Christopher Vizzina will be making just his second start at quarterback for Clemson after backing up Cade Klubnik for the past two seasons. The Birmingham native who committed to Dabo swinney and the Tigers out of Briarwood Christian School in 2022 has one career start.
Vizzina was 29-of-42 for 317 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-24 loss to the SMU Mustangs last October. The Tigers lost Klubnik and 14
other starters from last year's team, which entered the 2025 season ranked in the top 10, including No. 4 in the Coaches Poll.
LSU had a similarly disappointing 7-6 season after opening the year 4-0, which included a 17-10 win at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30. The Bayou Bengals return only eight players who started for Brian Kelly's team a season ago after Kiffin overhauled the roster in the transfer portal.
Who has the edge? USA TODAY Sports prediction for Clemson vs LSU football
On Thursday, USA TODAY Sports' panel of college football experts unveiled their picks and predictions for every top 25 team playing against FBS competition in Week 1, including Clemson vs. LSU.
The seven-man panel of Paul Myerberg, Matt Hayes, Blake Toppmeyer, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus, Jordan Mendoza and John Brice all picked LSU to beat Clemson.
Timanus noted:
"There’s just one contest on the opening slate pairing top-25 opponents. It’s a big one, though, as No. 13 LSU opens the Lane Kiffin era at home against No. 23 Clemson. The ACC will be involved in several other games of note, including a couple that will count in the league standings as No. 7 Miami (Fla.) heads west to take on Stanford and No. 20 SMU travels east to meet Florida State on Monday night. Louisville takes on No. 10 Mississippi in Nashville in another high-profile contest."
Joel Klatt makes final score prediction for Clemson vs LSU football
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 3, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/MA9JZrYD1s pic.twitter.com/UKFD8lQJVJ
College football experts predict Clemson vs. LSU winner
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt weighed in with his prediction on Thursday and sees LSU winning by three scores.
"I know Clemson has some really solid defensive players, but I'm not worried about LSU on offense, even early in the season because namely, they've got experience at the quarterback position," Klatt said of Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt. "That stadium is going to be jumping. Tom Allen, the defensive coordinator for Clemson, is going to have his hands absolutely full."
Elsewhere, ESPN's Matchup Predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its College Football Power Index ratings and other variables, gives Clemson only a 24.7% chance of beating LSU.
ESPN's SP+ rankings also favor the home team, giving LSU a projected 28-18 victory.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has LSU on upset alert vs Clemson
The most widely recognized voice of ESPN said Thursday on "Get Up":
"I think that because of the urgency of the moment, with Clemson having lost 14 games over the last three years, they better be ready against LSU. I think (Dabo Swinney) knows it, I think they know it, and I think that’s what could have Lane Kiffin and LSU on upset alert.”
Kickoff for Clemson-LSU is 7:49 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will have the call of the game. Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will report from the sidelines.
Clemson football schedule 2026
All start times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers, 7:49 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles, 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, noon, ESPN
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes, TBA
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
ESPN's Paul Finebaum rides to Dabo Swinney and Clemson's defense
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 2, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc S, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/F0M8XFAash pic.twitter.com/dhaO5uql2b
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: USA TODAY Sports predicts Clemson vs LSU football winner in Week 1
