CLEMSON – It is game day at Death Valley where Clemson battles LSU in ta top ten showdown to start the 25 season.
The Tigers look to set the narrative for the season with a big win.
Location: Memorial Stadium (Death Valley)
Kickoff: 7:30 PM
Television: ABC
Announcers: Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath
2025 Record: Clemson 0-0, LSU 0-0
ACC Record: Clemson 0-0
Series History: LSU leads series 3-1
Last Meeting: LSU defeated Clemson 42-25 in the 2019 National Championship game
CLEMSON, LSU SET TO OPEN 2025 SEASON IN PRIME TIME
Clemson will open a season at home for the first time since 2019 when Clemson’s Bengals of the Blue Ridge host the Bayou Bengals of LSU at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30. Kickoff between the two Tigers
on ABC’s Saturday Night Football is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s contest will be a matchup of two of the 14 winningest programs in FBS history. The programs have combined for 1,623 wins, including 815 by LSU since 1893 (12th all-time) and 808 wins by Clemson since 1896 (13th all-time).
The game will be Memorial Stadium’s seventh matchup of AP Top 10 teams since the facility opened in 1942. Clemson holds a 4-2 mark in home games
between AP Top 10 squads, including wins in each of its last three such contests: a 42-36 win vs. No. 3 Louisville in 2016, a 42-17 win against No. 7 Miami (Fla.) in 2020 and a 30-20 win against No. 10 NC State in 2022.
Though the game will be Clemson’s first season opener at home since 2019, Clemson will once again be opening with a marquee opponent. The game will mark the third time in five years that Clemson has opened a season against an AP Top 10 opponent.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS SEASON
– Clemson attempting to win its 29th overall conference championship, which would move the Tigers past Utah (28) and tie them with Fresno State (29) for the ninth most among current FBS programs. Clemson’s 28 all time conference titles include four SIAA championships, two Southern Conference championships and 22 ACC titles.
– Clemson attempting to become the first program to win 23 ACC titles. Since helping form the conference in 1953, Clemson leads the ACC with 22 titles all-time, including 21 outright.
– Clemson attempting to win back-to-back conference championships for the first time since winning six straight ACC titles from 2015-20.
– Clemson (seven) attempting to tie Alabama (eight) for the most College Football Playoff berths since the institution of the postseason format in 2014.
– Clemson attempting to qualify for back-to-back College Football Playoffs for the first time since qualifying for a record six-straight from 2015-20.
– Clemson attempting to win 10 games for the 14th time in 15 seasons. Clemson’s current 13 seasons with 10 or more wins since the start of the 2011 season are tied for the most in the nation (Alabama).
– Clemson attempting to extend its school record by winning nine games for a 15th consecutive season. Clemson’s active streak of 14 straight nine-win seasons is the nation’s second-longest active streak, and a 15th consecutive season with nine-plus wins would push Clemson past the 1987-2000 Florida State Seminoles for sole possession of the third-longest streak in FBS
history.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
– Clemson attempting to improve to 16-13 all-time in games when both teams enter ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll. With a win, Clemson would improve to 13-7 in those games since 2015.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 40-35-1 all-time in home games against AP Top 25 opponents since Death Valley opened in 1942. A win would also move Clemson to 17-7 at home against AP-ranked opponents
under Dabo Swinney.
- Clemson attempting to improve to 13-5 against SEC
opponents in regular season play in the College Football
Playoff era. – Clemson attempting to improve to 33-9 in night
games since the start of the 2018 season and 54-12 in
night games since 2015. - Clemson attempting to improve to 26-4 in night
games at Memorial Stadium in Dabo Swinney’s tenure
and move to 22-1 at home in prime-time games in the
College Football Playoff era. - Clemson playing its ninth August game all-time and
its fifth under the leadership of Dabo Swinney. Clemson
is 2-2 in August games under Swinney. - Clemson attempting to improve to 38-9 in games
following a loss under Dabo Swinney, including season
openers following a loss in the previous season finale. - Clemson attempting to improve to 71-5 at Death
Valley in the College Football Playoff era. Clemson’s
current 70-5 home record is second-best in the country
in that span.- - Clemson attempting to improve to 104-15 in
regular season play since the start of the 2015 season. - Clemson attempting to earn its 100th win in a
home opener in school history. Presently, Clemson is
99-17-8 in home openers.
SEASON OPENERS
Clemson is 30-10 in its last 40 season openers.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney is 12-4 in openers in his head coaching career with three losses to Georgia and one loss to Duke in 2023. Swinney’s 12 season opening wins are second-most in school history, two ahead of Danny Ford (9) and 13 shy of Frank Howard’s record of 25.
The Tigers are 95-26-8 (.767) in their first game in their previous 129 seasons.
TCI Predictions
Robert – Clemson 31, LSU 24
Will – Clemson 34, LSU 20
JP – Clemson 28, LSU 24