The Clemson Tigers will open the 2026 college football season against the team that Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt believes has become the sport's chief villain.
Klatt called LSU's headline-grabbing attempts to roster former NFL players a distraction, which could benefit Clemson.
Noting the game's 10.5-point spread favoring the home team, though, Klatt said on the Thursday edition of his popular video podcast that it was a fairly big spread given Clemson's history.
The commentator on Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" games said that Clemson is a tough program to figure out heading into 2026.
"Dabo has history. They should have a talented team, but do we really know what we're going to get from Clemson? I don't. Clemson's a really tough one to figure out.
You look at their roster and… I think it could be good, but I thought they were going to be great a year ago. Remember, I famously picked them to win the national championship, and that was just a complete flameout from Clemson."
Klatt turned to the quarterback position with the unknowns surrounding first-year Clemson starter Christopher Vizzina, who named the Tigers' starter for LSU on Tuesday. Swinney left some wiggle room on how long Vizzina would play and said it was "likely" that freshman Tait Reynolds could see the field as early as Week 1.
The thought of Swinney turning to the 19-year old Reynolds, a four-star recruit from Arizona, against an opponent like LSU at Tiger Stadium would be a true baptism by fire, Klatt said.
"You go to LSU and you face this Tigers team, and they're going to be all jacked up. This fan base for LSU, the players, Lane himself, I think they embrace this kind of villain narrative. I think they are where they want to be, which is great… and I think it's good for college football."
Joel Klatt: LSU 'good for college football?'
Some have disagreed, vehemently and passionately so, about Klatt's assertion, what with a head coach at a bonafide college football power trying to roster players who were on NFL preseason teams as recently as a week ago.
Klatt admitted that LSU being part of a court hearing Thursday about those players' eligibility and the SEC's unanimous pushback against Kiffin's efforts was, in fact, not good for the sport.
"You're seeing even among the SEC coaches, (Steve Sarkisian) had a big comment, Kirby Smart has touched on it. Coaches from around the country are basically saying what we believe to be true and know to be true, which is that bringing back guys that were in the NFL is nuts. It's wild and it's stupid, but that's what's going on."
Still, Klatt believes LSU will embrace the spectacle of it all, relishing in being college football's villain as it enters Week 1 against Clemson.
"That's actually probably a rallying cry for them," Klatt believes. "'Hey, lets circle the wagons around our coach who's embattled right now in the national narrative.'"
Klatt added there was no question about the talent on LSU's roster, especially with the players Kiffin brought in from the transfer portal.
"There's no doubt that LSU is going to be incredibly talented. They've brought in one of the best classes, if not the best class, in the transfer portal of anybody in America. Lane has done that before when he was at Ole Miss, and it worked and he got those teams to gel. So if history is an indicator, you would think that Lane would be able to do that again and I'm certain that he will.
Where LSU can dominate Clemson in Week 1 college football showdown
While he admits to not being sure of LSU in the long-run as a College Football Playoff or national title contender in Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge, Klatt said the Bayou Bengals' defense should particularly stand out.
It's the area the Fox Sports commentator chose to focus on for his Week 1 prediction.
"This defense really should be able to shut down Clemson in this matchup. You've got (defensive coordinator) Blake Baker back. Princewill Umanmielen comes in from Ole Miss and transfers with Lane Kiffin. This guy's an excellent defensive end. You've got Whit Weeks. This is a good team. You've got Sam Leavitt, an experienced quarterback. Obviously with Lane, Lane always has a good offense.
"This team should be good. They should be ready to go, and it comes down to execution: how quickly can they learn this system and execute? Baker has been there before, so it shouldn't take that long for these guys to really get acquainted with this defense, and that's where I think they really dominate this game.
"I know that 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. That stadium is going to be jumping. I think Tom Allen, the defensive coordinator for Clemson, is going to have his hands absolutely full."
Joel Klatt's final score prediction for Clemson football vs LSU
Klatt predicts LSU will win by three scores.
His final score prediction: LSU 31, Clemson 14.
"They cover the 10 1/2, and I'm going to go with the Tigers over the Tigers," Klatt said.
Clemson vs LSU football start time, TV channel for Week 1
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.
ESPN predicts the final score of Clemson vs LSU football in Week 1
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 1, 2026
📸 Alex Martin/Greenville News, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/naQmbrAAhA pic.twitter.com/7Zcl0Q4Bqg
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
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Joel Klatt makes final score prediction for Clemson vs LSU football
