It’s old school vs. new school when Clemson and No. 11 LSU kick off Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
LSU has been willing to bend — or, at least, challenge — the rules this offseason, opting to add two former NFL players to their roster ahead of the season opener. Whether they play or not is not important on the field, but what it signals is a changing of the times in college football, something Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has been reluctant to face.
Swinney is facing the kind of tough times he hasn’t seen since he became head coach in the late 2000s. The Tigers start the season unranked for the first time since 2011, which he certainly hopes means history repeats itself. That 2011 season is when he got Clemson up and running toward two national titles and six consecutive top-5 finishes in the AP poll. And it all started when he hired Chad Morris as his offensive coordinator. Thirteen years later, Morris is back on campus, hired again to revitalize an offense that hasn’t quite impressed in recent years. Clemson finished just 7-6 last season, its worst finish since Swinney’s second year in 2010, when his seat got hot, and many wondered if he would survive.
Meanwhile, LSU is the talk of college football. The program ripped Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss before the Rebels’ playoff run. He secured the nation’s top class in the transfer portal and then made more headlines in August by adding a pair of former NFL pros to the roster.
Clemson needs a win to get the pressure off Swinney’s back. LSU needs a win to prove the investment in Kiffin was worth it. It’s a heck of a Week 1 matchup.
LSU vs. Clemson: Need to know
Christopher Vizzina is starting: It took a while to announce, but Christopher Vizzina will start at quarterback for Clemson. The three-year backup takes over an offense that needs a spark under Morris, who also takes over an offense that struggled to protect the quarterback and failed to produce an elite receiver. Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore will need to step up to get this offense back on track.
Remember, LSU is brand new: LSU has a lot of talent on its roster, but many of these pieces are new. Kiffin brought in an incredible haul in the portal, led by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, but will everything gel immediately under the bright lights in Death Valley? It’s a legitimate question.
Clemson’s offensive line is new, too: All five starters from last season are gone along the offensive front. But is that really bad news? The OL, despite being a veteran group, ranked 82nd in pressure rate allowed last year. This new group includes a pair that started in the bowl game, but the fresh-car smell still lingers.
LSU’s defense is stacked: Five starters from last season return, and so does coordinator Blake Baker. Linebacker Whit Wheeks is back, too, as the defense breaks in new starters, including former Ole Miss All-SEC pass rusher Princewill Umanmielen.
Where to watch LSU vs. Clemson live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5 | Time: 7:49 p.m. ET
Location: Tiger Stadium — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
LSU vs. Clemson prediction, picks
LSU has the more talented roster, but with so many new moving parts and a Clemson team also adjusting to a new offense with a new coordinator, starting quarterback and several offensive linemen, don’t expect a high-scoring game. Both defenses should slow it down enough to keep this game in the 20s. Pick: Under 50
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