The season has barely been over, but it does look like Vegas is already bored — because Clemson has been counted out of Week 1 — officially — in 2026.
Clemson opens as a 10.5-point underdog ahead of its Sept. 5 trip to Baton Rouge to compete with LSU, according to early odds posted by FanDuel. The earlier lines put the Tigers near 9.5, so the money has already nudged along into LSU’s direction.
If you’re a Clemson fan, none of this is really shocking. Annoying?
Sure. Surprising? Not really.
Clemson taking the road to Death Valley — their Death Valley — was always going to come with a large price tag. Throw in a 7-6 season, a fresh-faced roster and an offseason rife with questions, and Vegas is doing what Vegas always does: betting on uncertainty.
.More than Clemson vs. LSU, it’s Lane Kiffin’s first game as LSU’s head coach, which creates extra hype.
Kiffin wasted no time restructuring the roster, adding a string of transfers to help him get his offense moving again. Sam Leavitt, a former Arizona State quarterback who had been widely regarded as the top transfer QB in the cycle, is the headliner of the group.
That's all the sportsbooks need to jump start numbers inflating. Oh, and if that isn’t enough juice, there’s a little Clemson reunion angle thrown in too.
Former Tigers Stephiylan Green and T.J. Dottery will stand on the other sideline, another weird thing to consider for Dabo Swinney as Clemson enters enemy territory. Clemson’s Half of the Equation Is Still in the Making. For Clemson, this game is about who the Tigers are, after all. The largest offseason piece sits with the offense, now led by Chad Morris.
Truth be told — last year’s 10-point performance versus LSU still stings. That can’t happen again, and everyone inside this program knows it.
Quarterback will be front and center for now. Christopher Vizzina currently has the inside track, according to Swinney, but Chris Denson, with an encouraging offseason, isn’t out of the race either. Whoever wins that job will be directly put on fire. Defensively, Tom Allen rounds up transfers to reload a unit that’s losing big names in the trenches and the secondary. With leaders — T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, Avieon Terrell — no longer anchoring the group, new face players have a quick chance to develop off the bench.
The hope is that some of the portal additions would follow in the path forged by Will Heldt last season.
Vegas, now, sees Clemson coming off a disappointing year and LSU as a program built on momentum, buzz and a headline-grabbing coach, all at home. The 10.5-point line looks good on paper. But here’s what Clemson fans know best: Dabo Swinney teams are dangerous when no one feels confident in them.
This is an effortless measuring-stick game. No trophies handed out. No seasons decided. Only an opportunity to find out if Clemson’s reset really matters.
If Clemson enters Baton Rouge ready and physical and confident, that number ain’t going to matter at all. And if we do learn anything from history, being counted out early is just where Clemson performs best. 🐅💪