It won't be easy, but nothing ever is in college football. The unranked Clemson Tigers will be entering the other Death Valley on Saturday night, as they will take on Lane Kiffin's No. 11 LSU Tigers under the bright lights. While FanDuel Sportsbook has LSU laying 10.5 points to visiting Clemson, Dabo Swinney's team will have a puncher's chance at this upset bid. Of course, so much has to go right.
LSU may have the more talented team coming in, but this is a new coaching staff in Baton Rouge. Kiffin was over at Magnolia Bowl rival Ole Miss only a season ago. Swinney has been an institution at Clemson, but he too has to reinvent himself. Fortunately for him, his Tigers have a navigable ACC schedule coming not long after this high-profile non-conference game. Will Clemson upset LSU?
For that to even happen, Clemson will need for each of these propositions to go in the Tigers' favor.
Christopher Vizzina has to occasionally play up to Sam Leavitt's level
Christopher Vizzina beat out Tait Reynolds for the right to be Clemson's starting quarterback based on two key components. He was slightly sharper in fall camp than Reynolds, but above all else, his maturity and quiet confidence are exactly what Clemson needs entering this game. To have any shot at the upset, Vizzina's steadiness will have to match the underrated brilliance of Sam Leavitt for LSU.
Clemson may not need Vizzina to win this game for the Tigers, but he cannot be the primary reason why they lose it. Playing behind one of the best offensive lines Clemson has had in ages, Vizzina may have enough time to throw strikes downfield to the Tigers' bevy of talented wide receivers. It may be a tall ask for him, but Vizzina must look to TJ Moore or Bryant Wesco Jr. deep to match Leavitt here.
If Vizzina chooses to play ultra-conservatively with dink-and-dunk passes, Clemson will have no shot.
Chad Morris must remain committed to the ground game, early and often
The big catalyst for change for Clemson this season is bringing Chad Morris back into the fold on offense. He plans to use the running game more than his predecessor, Garrett Riley, ever did as offensive coordinator. For that to happen, Morris cannot abandon the run if Gideon Davidson, Chris Johnson Jr., and the rest of the tailbacks struggle to pick up anything behind this big offensive line.
By choosing to call plays from the sidelines instead of up in the booth, this will allow Morris and his offensive staff to adapt more freely on the fly. Should the Clemson offense be more agile as a whole, it will go a long way toward keeping Blake Baker and his LSU defense guessing. While LSU should be better defensively this year, the Bayou Bengals are far from a finished product on that side of the ball.
If Clemson can use the run to open up the pass, that will create the potential for bigger plays later on.
Clemson's secondary cannot give up big explosive plays on the regular
One of the areas that plagued the Clemson defense a year ago was its propensity to give up the big plays. Despite being immensely talented, the 2025 Tigers' secondary left a lot to be desired. While many of those players are no longer around, Ashton Hampton was there. He is hungrier than ever before, hoping to make a huge impact as a member of this defense. Swinney named him a captain.
Coming into this season, Hampton has garnered some first-round praise for his ability to break up passes in coverage. If he becomes the next AJ Terrell at Clemson, then more power to him. However, he needs to make sure Elliot Washington II, Jerome Carter III, Corey Myrick, and the rest of the Tigers' defensive backfield play with their heads on a swivel. Busted coverages could be Clemson's undoing.
Clemson can afford to give up one big play, but maybe not two if the Tigers want to pull off the upset.
Clemson has to win the turnover battle by stealing a few possessions
This is easier said than done. Clemson needs to steal a few possessions away from LSU by winning the turnover battle. To be frank, the turnover margin may need to be plus-two or better for Clemson to be on the verge of pulling off the slightly shocking Week 1 upset. We know that Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will be a bit adventurous with their play-calling, so be prepared for that.
Simply put, Clemson needs to let LSU's baked-in cockiness work against them. Because this is a brand-new team for LSU, they may not be able to handle adversity as well as this Clemson team can. If LSU is playing from behind, maybe the Tigers will still win? What is important is for Clemson to grab a lead and never relinquish it. They are the ACC's comeback kings, but will let other teams back in it.
For Clemson to beat LSU at Tiger Stadium, Swinney's team needs to make Kiffin's feel uncomfortable.
Dabo Swinney's coaching staff must take advantage of LSU's upheaval
In a way, this may be the biggest factor working in Clemson's favor here. Kiffin has never coached a game before at LSU, while Swinney has been at Clemson for two decades now. Not only that, but Matt Luke has been on his staff for a minute now. It will be Year 2 for Tom Allen coordinating this defense. He has never had the luxury before. Baker returns for LSU, but Kiffin brought so much from Ole Miss.
Add in the fact that Clemson will be America's Team of the Week coming in, based on the amount of disdain Kiffin is receiving nationally, and what better time to flip the college football world on its head? Continuity would be a beautiful thing for Swinney to waste. For the time being, he has the slight leg up on Kiffin in the coaching staff department. Clemson does not win this game without great coaching.
Clemson's best opportunity of attack is to catch LSU off-guard before those Tigers fully settle in.
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