CBS Sports analysts predict winner of LSU/Clemson Week 1 game
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
LSU vs. Clemson promises to be quite the matchup for various reasons.
For starters, it’s Lane Kiffin‘s first game in charge of LSU. But the headline in Baton Rouge concerns Kiffin’s recruiting of undrafted NFL free agents looking to take advantage of the five-for-five rule and return to college for one more year. While the SEC has issued a policy prohibiting those players from playing, Kiffin is proceeding with business as usual.
CBS Sports’ “Inside College Football” analysts gave their predictions for the game on Thursday, and all of them picked LSU to win. Rick Neuheisel acknowledged the return of Chad Morris as Clemson‘s offensive coordinator, but still noted that Tiger Stadium would present a tough environment for the visitors.
“The home field advantage … is immense when you’re at Tiger Stadium. There’s no question about it,” Neuheisel said. “I think you’re going to see kind of a back-and-forth kind of game. I like it close. I’m going to take the Bayou Bengals in this one just because of that home-field advantage.”
Brian Jones agreed that LSU would win a close one, noting the improvements Blake Baker, retained by Kiffin as defensive coordinator, had made.
“He elevated this team on the defensive side of the ball a season ago. (With) him being a holdover, I think he’s got even more clay to mold, if you will, on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said.
Aaron Taylor believed that the game would come down to the offensive and defensive lines for both teams, and how Clemson’s o-line would prevent Christopher Vezzina with four new starters up front.
“You do not want to be able to go on the road in that environment as a first-time starter quarterback with this team and have to rely on your ability to get out of third-and-longs. You want those third-and-manageables,” Taylor said. “The trenches will decide this one. LSU wins.”
That, of course, left it to Brian Kelly, who led LSU to a 17-10 win at Clemson a season ago. He picked LSU to make it two years in a row.
“They’re going to sing ‘Calling Baton Rouge’ in that stadium, and it’s going to be electric because those fans, they tailgate, they come early, they stay all day, and it’s going to be a great game,” Kelly said.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
