ACC Analyst ‘Can’t Wait’ for 2026 Clemson-LSU Opener
By: Gavin Oliver February 21, 2026

Looking ahead to the Week 1 ACC schedule, one game in particular stands out to ACC Network football analyst Eddie Royal – a non-conference showdown between the ACC’s Tigers and the SEC’s Bayou Bengals.

Royal “can’t wait” to see Dabo Swinney’s Clemson squad open the 2026 season against LSU and new head coach Lane Kiffin on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

Royal, the former Virginia Tech standout and nine-year NFL wide receiver, recently weighed in with his thoughts on the upcoming matchup.

“Well, look, it’s Clemson and LSU. That’s what stands out to me. Two big brands going against each other,” Royal said on ACC Network. “Clemson starting out with a new quarterback, Chris Vizzina. We’re going to see what that looks like. No Cade Klubnik, and Dabo wants to make a statement. He’s already been making news with his rants.

“And so now you gotta go out and play some football, and you get a good opportunity against a really good LSU team, which Lane Kiffin is going to have ready to go. They’re going to be a good football team. So, that’s a great matchup. The ACC vs. the SEC, and I can’t wait for that one.”

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (7) and safety Tamarcus Cooley (0) bring down Clemson wide receiver T.J. Moore (1) during the first quarter Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)

It will mark Clemson’s first trip to Baton Rouge and Clemson’s first time opening a season in an SEC venue since opening its 2016 national championship season with a 19-13 win at Auburn. It will also be Lane Kiffin’s first game as LSU’s head coach after he was hired this past November to replace Brian Kelly, who was fired in October.

Clemson and LSU faced one another at neutral sites in postseason play four times before the two sets of Tigers met in Clemson in the 2025 season opener for their first regular season, on-campus meeting in series history – what was a top-10 matchup that saw LSU win, 17-10, at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.

LSU leads the all-time series against Clemson 4-1, with Clemson’s lone win being a dramatic 25-24 victory in the 2012 Peach Bowl.

Clemson concluded the 2025 campaign with a 7-6 record, capped off by a 22-10 loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, while LSU went 7-6 as well and finished the year with a 38-35 loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl.

The early betting line for the 2026 Clemson-LSU game has Clemson as an 11.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.