CLEMSON — You have to love college football, right?

We are still two-and-a-half months from the start of the 2025 season, and LSU’s Brian Kelly is already talking a little smack.

Personally, I love it.

I think more coaches should be as open as Kelly was during his appearance on the College GameDay Podcast.

What did Kelly do exactly? Nothing big but admit to the world his team is all-in on beating Clemson, when the Bayou Bengals visit College Football’s Original Death Valley in Clemson on Aug. 30.

“We’ve circled the game,” Kelly said.

Man, Dabo Swinney better be scared, I guess.

I mean, LSU has circled this game. Oh boy!

Clemson better beware because the big-bad LSU Tigers are coming to Clemson and they “have circled the game.”

This is hilarious.

It’s the season opener. Of course you have circled the game, Brian Kelly. Everybody circles the season opener because it is the season opener.

You do not think Clemson has circled this game?

Clemson has been circling this game ever since it was announced. Clemson circles this game every time an ESPN personality puts down their Death Valley for the imitator down in Baton Rouge.

“It’s all over our weight room. It’s all over our workouts. We’re wearing shirts,” Kelly said. “We’re doing the kumbaya of ‘we’re playing Clemson, and we need to beat Clemson.’”

I do not know about you guys, but I am worried. I mean, you know what they say, “No one motivates his team like Brian Kelly does.”

I mean, Clemson only has Dabo Swinney. I mean when you think of motivators and fiery, emotional guys, Dabo Swinney does not even compare to Brian Kelly.

Of course, I am being sarcastic.

It sounds to me like Brian Kelly is trying to convince his team they can come into Clemson and win. Maybe they can win, but does his really need to come out and tell the media they “have circled” the Clemson game.

I hope Brian Kelly understands this game means just as much, if not more, to Clemson as it does LSU.

I get it. LSU has not won a season-opener in six years. Like Clemson, they feel like they are a team that can compete for the national championship.

But Clemson has more to prove, in my opinion. Clemson was 0-3 last year against the SEC, and everywhere they turned in the off-season they were reminded about it.

I do not think Clemson needs to print up a T-shirt to be motivated for this game.

Since the last time Clemson played LSU, which was a victory for the SEC’s Tigers in the 2020 National Championship Game, Clemson has not faired well on the big stage. In fact, since that game, the ACC’s Tigers are 2-8 in games played in the national limelight.

However, do you think Dabo Swinney is telling his players any of that mess? No.

None of that matters in this game.

This is the first game of the new season. This truly is Week 1 and LSU is the only opponent on the schedule that matters.

I am sure you have heard that before, right?

Swinney does not have to “circle” the LSU game or put “Beat LSU” on a T-shirt to convince his team they are good enough to beat LSU.

He knows they are.

From the way it sounds, Kelly does not feel the same way about his team.