Finally, football.
When the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers and No. 23 Clemson Tigers kick off at 6:49 p.m. Saturday inside Tiger Stadium, college football fans will be granted a temporary restraining order from the offseason drama.
For a few hours, at least, the focus can be on what happens between the lines instead of what’s happening in the courtroom.
The buildup to this moment began December 1, when Lane Kiffin was introduced as LSU’s new head coach and told Tiger Nation he couldn’t wait to experience Death Valley with 100,000 fans supporting him instead of rooting against him.
Now, he gets his chance.
And what a way to begin a new era.
Season-opening matchups this significant have become increasingly rare in college football. LSU hasn’t opened a season at home against a Power Four opponent since hosting Oregon State in 2004. Saturday will also mark the first time since 1988 that a Top 25 matchup has opened the season inside Tiger Stadium.
That 1988 game ended with No. 18 LSU shutting out No. 10 Texas A&M, 27-0.
I’m not expecting another shutout Saturday night.
But there are five things I’ll be watching closely when Kiffin’s new-look Tigers take the field against Clemson.
1. Quarterback play
Sam Leavitt will make his LSU debut — and his first appearance in front of a Tiger Stadium crowd — Saturday night.
His mobility should immediately add another dimension to LSU’s offense, but I’m just as interested to see how his arm looks in a game setting after dealing with a foot injury during the offseason.
Kiffin has raved about Leavitt’s development, describing some of the throws he made during preseason camp as “adult throws.”
Now those throws count.
How quickly has Leavitt developed chemistry with tight end Trey’Dez Green? Can Florida transfer Trey Wilson III emerge as LSU’s leading receiver? And perhaps most importantly, how does Leavitt handle the pressure of his first game in Death Valley?
Clemson will counter with 21-year-old Chris Vizzina, who is expected to make his second career start. The Tigers also have freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, a four-star recruit from Arizona. Coach Dabo Swinney said this week that Reynolds will probably play as well.
2. What does LSU’s ground game look like?
LSU finished dead last in the SEC in rushing last season, averaging just 104 yards per game.
That will likely not happen in a Lane Kiffin-Charlie Weis Jr. offense.
Kiffin’s Ole Miss teams consistently produced explosive rushing attacks, and LSU has plenty of talent to make a dramatic improvement.
Wisconsin transfer Dillon Jones is expected to get the start, but Harlem Berry and Caden Durham should both see plenty of opportunities. Berry could also become a factor as a receiver out of the backfield.
The question is whether LSU can establish the run early enough to keep Clemson’s defense from teeing off on Leavitt.
For Clemson, sophomore Gideon Davidson is expected to be the primary running back. Davidson rushed for 260 yards as a true freshman last season after entering college with plenty of hype as the 2023 MaxPreps National Junior of the Year.
3. Can LSU generate a pass rush?
This might be the defensive matchup I’m most interested in watching.
Princewill Umanmielen gives LSU a legitimate edge rusher who can change a game.
The former Ole Miss standout earned third-team All-SEC honors last season after recording nine sacks — third-most in the conference — and ranking eighth in tackles for loss.
LSU needs that kind of production.
The Tigers have historically had a handful of elite pass rushers, but only three players in program history have recorded at least 10 sacks in a season: Arden Key had 12 in 2016, Oliver Lawrence had 12 in 1989 and Gabe Northern recorded 11 in 1994.
Umanmielen has a chance to put his name alongside those LSU greats.
But Saturday will provide the first real test.
4. LSU’s secondary will be tested
If there is one Clemson position group that immediately jumps out, it’s wide receiver.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford ranks the Tigers’ receiver room as the third-deepest in college football.
T.J. Moore is the headliner. The last two seasons he's caught 97 passes for 1,488 yards and five touchdowns and gives Clemson a proven threat on the perimeter.
Bryant Wesco was also making a major impact last season before an injury cut his season short. He had 31 catches for 537 yards and a team-high six touchdowns in just seven games.
Clemson has added another explosive weapon in Naeem Burroughs, a four-star recruit from Florida.
That puts the spotlight squarely on LSU’s secondary.
PJ Woodland and DJ Pickett have the potential to form an excellent cornerback tandem, but LSU will need its entire secondary to communicate and tackle well against a talented group of Clemson receivers.
I’ll also be watching Ja’Keem Jackson at nickel. He didn’t see much action last season, but Saturday gives him an opportunity to establish himself in the defense.
5. An electric atmosphere
This one doesn’t require much analysis.
It’s the 102nd season of football inside Tiger Stadium.
As the sun begins to set Saturday evening, 100,000-plus fans will get their first look at Kiffin’s LSU team in a game that actually counts.
And after everything that has happened around LSU football this offseason, the atmosphere should be something to see.
The eligibility battles. The SEC lawsuit. The coaching change. The roster overhaul.
All of it has created a level of excitement for this program that has not been seen since the 2019 national championship season.
Clemson will have to deal with that from the opening kickoff.
Dabo Swinney’s team needs to make an early play, quiet the crowd and prevent LSU from building momentum. The longer Clemson hangs around, the more pressure shifts onto the Tigers to avoid the kind of mistakes that can decide a game like this.
Because this is college football.
And as we’ve seen many times before, anything can happen.
I expect Clemson to make LSU sweat.
But in the end, I’m taking the Tigers.
LSU 27, Clemson 20.
