First look: Top storylines, bettings odds for Clemson-LSU football game
Clemson-LSU week is here.
After an offseason full of hype, coach Dabo Swinney and the preseason No. 4 Clemson football team get to hit the field and prove if they’re worthy of it, starting on Saturday night against a marquee SEC opponent.
Here’s your first look at the AP Top 10 matchup:
Clemson vs. LSU game, TV info
Who: No. 9 LSU (0-0) at No. 4 Clemson (0-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
TV: ABC
Streaming: Via ESPN.com or ESPN app
Vegas odds: Clemson-LSU point spread
Clemson is a 4-point favorite against LSU, according to the VegasInsider.com consensus betting line. That’s an uptick from the opening spread (Clemson -2.5). A few sportsbooks, including FanDuel, have Clemson as a 4.5-point favorite.
The public is slightly favoring LSU. VegasInsider.com reports that 56% of bettors have picked LSU to cover (win, or lose by four or fewer points) and 44% have picked Clemson to cover (win by more than four points) as of Monday.
Clemson vs. LSU last meeting, trends
Saturday will be the first ever regular season meeting between Clemson and LSU.
The two schools – who share a mascot name and both call their football stadiums “Death Valley” – have previously met four times in the postseason and most recently in the 2020 national championship game. LSU beat Clemson 42-25 in that game.
Clemson is 1-3 all time against LSU. Outside of the 2020 national title game, it lost to LSU in the 1959 Sugar Bowl and 1996 Peach Bowl and beat LSU in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl (famous for its “4th and 16” Tajh Boyd to DeAndre Hopkins play).
State of the Clemson Tigers
The national view of Clemson couldn’t be more different than last year.
In 2024, Clemson was coming off its worst season since 2010. Quarterback Cade Klubnik had been shaky in his first year as starter. And Swinney continued to face criticism for his transfer portal strategy after the Tigers added zero players.
But Klubnik took a massive step forward in 2024, and improvement at a number of other positions – including wide receiver – put Clemson right back in the national conversation. They went 10-4, won the ACC championship over SMU and made their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2020.
Klubnik and 15 other starters are back in 2025. Throw in a new, high-dollar defensive coordinator in Penn State’s Tom Allen and Clemson’s largest portal haul ever – three players, including star Purdue DE Will Heldt – and the Tigers are a trendy national champion pick.
State of the LSU Tigers
It’s a critical fourth year for coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers.
LSU made one of the splashiest hires in recent history when it poached Kelly from Notre Dame in 2021. And although he’s been productive with a 29-11 record and 17-7 SEC record, that doesn’t exactly cut it at LSU, where each of the last three coaches (Ed Orgeron, Les Miles, Nick Saban) have won a national championship.
Kelly also hasn’t made the SEC title game or the CFP with the Tigers.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier returned for his senior year and, like Klubnik, is considered a legit Heisman Trophy candidate. LSU has surrounded him with weapons and attempted to beef up on defense with an 18-player transfer class ranked No. 1 nationally by 247Sports.
Clemson vs. LSU players to watch
Clemson RB Adam Randall: Swinney has confirmed that Randall, a converted wide receiver, will start at running back for Clemson against LSU. Randall (6-2, 235) had a 41-yard run against Texas in the CFP, but this is quite the game to be getting your first career start in.
Clemson DT Peter Woods: Woods (6-3, 310) is in the best shape of his life and playing at his natural position after rotating between defensive tackle and end last year. He’s a projected first-round NFL Draft pick, but Clemson’s entire defense must improve against the run.
LSU WR Barion Brown: Brown, a Kentucky transfer, torched Clemson for 226 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the Gator Bowl. The SEC’s record holder for career kick return TDs, he’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
LSU LB Harold Perkins: A game changer as a true freshman, Perkins played out of position in 2023 and then missed most of last year with a knee injury. Expect him back to his full self in 2025. In 31 career games, Perkins has 27.5 TFL and 13 sacks.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
