LSU has struggled in the season-opening game over the past few years, as the Tigers have lost their last 5 season openers in a trend that started before Brian Kelly became the coach.
It doesn’t get any easier this year, as the ninth-ranked Tigers hit the road to take on No. 4 Clemson and superstar quarterback Cade Klubnik. During warmups on Saturday night, LSU players were spotted wearing shirts that said 1-0 on the back of them.
Kelly has been stressing “1-0” to his team for weeks. Last season, the 13th-ranked Tigers lost 27-20 to USC to open the season. The year before, No. 5 LSU lost by 21 points to Florida State.
With the new College Football Playoff format, losing a game in Week 1 doesn’t eliminate a team from national title contention. However, for both of these teams, the winner will have a huge step on the rest of the field by picking up a signature win early in the season.
LSU has the right mindset as it prepares for the game, but it has to go out and get the job done to avoid hearing more people talk about the team’s struggles early in the season. Kickoff between LSU and Clemson is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
