Clemson vs. LSU college football betting: Odds, picks, prediction, betting preview, kickoff time for Week 1 — SkimNews
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- LSU is a 10.5-point favorite over Clemson with an Over/Under of 50.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook, and is ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll while Clemson sits just outside the top 25.
- Lane Kiffin takes over as LSU's head coach after Brian Kelly was fired midseason, arriving from Ole Miss where he won 10+ games four times in six seasons.
- Sam Leavitt, who led Arizona State to the College Football Playoff in 2024, steps in as LSU's new quarterback, giving the Tigers a proven starter against Clemson's first-time starter.
- Dabo Swinney is breaking in quarterback Christopher Vizzina, a former five-star recruit now in his fourth year, as Clemson tries to recover from a disappointing 7-6 season.
- Last year's meeting was a defensive battle, with LSU winning 17-10 at Clemson, and both teams entered 2025 ranked in the top 10 of the preseason poll before stumbling.
- Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Baton Rouge, with the pick being LSU -10.5, betting on Kiffin making a statement win in his debut.
Why it matters: The Week 1 spread essentially grades whether Lane Kiffin's hire and Sam Leavitt's transfer immediately fix an LSU team that collapsed to 7-6 last year, while a Clemson cover or upset would accelerate the narrative that Dabo Swinney's resistance to the transfer portal has left the Tigers behind in a transformed ACC.
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