Tigers under the lights: Clemson-LSU football game gets primetime kickoff spot
Get ready for Tigers vs. Tigers in primetime.
Clemson football’s 2025 season and home opener against LSU is a night game and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, ESPN announced on Tuesday.
ABC will broadcast the Week 1 game from Memorial Stadium and has given the game its “ABC Saturday Night Football” designation, which indicates Clemson-LSU will get a top broadcasting crew (likely Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit).
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy first reported the news earlier Tuesday.
Clemson-LSU is one of the top non-conference matchups on college football’s opening slate, and the ACC-SEC showdown has already generated significant hype.
Coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers went 10-4 last season and returned to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. Clemson returns star quarterback Cade Klubnik (43 total touchdowns) and 15 other starters on offense and defense and ranks No. 1 in the country in total returning production, per ESPN.
Clemson was No. 2 in ESPN’s post-spring Way Too Early Top 25 for the 2025 season and has the eighth-best odds to win the national championship, per FOX Sports.
SEC power LSU isn’t far behind, with the ninth-best odds to win the national title and a No. 6 ranking in ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25. Brian Kelly’s Tigers were 9-4 last season and bring back star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (32 total TDs).
LSU also signed the No. 1 transfer portal class this offseason, per 247Sports. The group includes former Kentucky star wide receiver and return man Barion Brown.
This will be Clemson’s first time opening a season at home since 2019 vs. Georgia Tech. The Tigers either played on the road or at a neutral site from 2020 to 2024.
The game also marks Clemson and LSU’s first regular-season meeting. The programs have met four previous times in postseason play (most recently the 2020 national championship game, which LSU won 42-25). Clemson is 1-3 all-time against LSU.
Clemson-LSU details and other marquee college football games’ details were announced Tuesday by ESPN during the 2025 Disney Upfront presentation.
Kickoff times and TV channels for Clemson’s Week 2 and Week 3 games (vs. Troy and at Georgia Tech) are expected to be announced later this month by the ACC.
Clemson 2025 football schedule
- Aug. 30: vs. LSU, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
- Sept. 6: vs. Troy
- Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech
- Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse
- Sept. 27: OPEN
- Oct. 4: at UNC
- Oct. 11: at Boston College
- Oct. 18: vs. SMU
- Oct. 25: OPEN
- Nov. 1: vs. Duke
- Nov. 8: vs. Florida State
- Nov. 14: at Louisville (Friday game)
- Nov. 22: vs. Furman
- Nov. 29: at South Carolina
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 11:40 AM.
