Clemson faces a daunting task as it travels to Baton Rouge on September 5 to open the season against No. 11 LSU.
The other Death Valley boasts one of the most intimidating road venues in the nation, as the Bayou Bengals have experienced a ton of success on their home turf.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Tiger Stadium is well-known for its raucous crowds, and with this game already being sold out, there will be more than 102,000 rabid LSU fans on hand. Add in Lane Kiffin drastically upgrading the LSU roster during the offseason by signing the highest-ranked portal class in the country, and Dabo Swinney’s team might be facing an uphill battle to start the season.
“This is going to be a great team that we got to open with, and it ain’t going to be easy, and I love it,” Swinney said. “I love the challenge. Let’s see where we are, go play and see what happens after that.”
Over the years, LSU has been extremely tough to beat at home. The Bayou Bengals have lost just 26 times on their home field since the year 2000, including a 6-1 mark last season.
The fact that this one will be played under the lights adds another interesting dynamic. As good as LSU has been at home over the past 25 years, the program is even better in home games played in primetime. The other Tigers win right at 88% of those games.
For what it’s worth, Swinney’s teams are 8-1 in true road games over the past two seasons.
Clemson will enter the matchup having lost three straight season openers, and in two of those games the Tigers were blown out. In 2023, Duke beat Clemson 28-7 in Durham, while Georgia knocked off the Tigers 30-3 to kick off the 2024 campaign in Atlanta.
LSU hasn’t been all that great of late in season openers themselves, having dropped five of its last six. That one win? It came over Clemson last year when LSU came into Memorial Stadium and knocked off the Tigers 17-10.
While there was very little talk from Clemson during fall camp regarding LSU and the season opener, there is no doubt about the challenge awaiting the Tigers when they arrive in Baton Rouge. Not only is LSU expected to have a pretty solid team this season, but Clemson is also going to have to overcome an intimidating, rowdy atmosphere in a place where the home team just doesn’t lose very often.
“These guys, if they show up and compete, I believe they are capable of competing with anybody,” Swinney said of his team. “Now, let’s not kid ourselves, we will have to play, not perfect, but not far from it.”
