Clemson Tigers vs LSU Tigers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/05/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 5, 2026

Venue:  Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Clemson +10.5, LSU -10.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Clemson +10.5, LSU -10.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Clemson +10.5, LSU -10.5; Over/Under:  51.5 points

Clemson Tigers:  0-0 (0-0) (ACC)

LSU Tigers:  0-0 (0-0) (SEC)

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Clemson Tigers:  N/A

LSU Tigers:  N/A

Clemson finished last season with a 7-6 record overall and they had a 4-4 record in their conference games too.  They were 3-4 in their home games, 4-1 in their road games, and they were also 0-1 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 27.2 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 20.5 points per game. Their offense also averaged 392.2 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 356.7 yards per game. Cade Klubnik led the team in passing yards with 2,943, Adam Randall led the team in rushing yards with 814, and T.J. Moore led the team in receiving yards with 837.

 

 

 

LSU finished last season with a 7-6 record overall and they had a 3-5 record in their conference games too.  They were 6-1 in their home games, 1-4 in their road games, and they were also 0-1 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 22.8 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 19.8 points per game. Their offense also averaged 333.5 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 328.7 yards per game. Garrett Nussmeier led the team in passing yards with 1,927, Caden Durham led the team in rushing yards with 505, and Barion Brown led the team in receiving yards with 532.

The current betting odds have LSU listed as a 10.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. LSU is coming off a bad season by their standards, going 7-6 overall, and the wheels really came off for them. Brian Kelly ended up getting fired after a disastrous tenure there and Lane Kiffin has been brought in to turn things around. Kiffin has been one of the best coaches in the nation over the last few years, so there is no doubt that he is going to turn this team around with the money that they have. LSU is entering the season with one of the most expensive rosters in the nation and should see a ton of improvement from last year. Meanwhile, Clemson is coming off a bad season too, going 7-6 overall which is not up to their standards, and Clemson has been below the bar over the last few years now. They are no longer the premier program in the ACC and last year was a huge disappointment. They were supposed to be the best team in the ACC last season with all of the talent that they were returning, but they weren't able to do anything with it. Now they have lost a ton of their talent to the NFL and won't be a team that improves. Dabo Swinney finally dipped into the transfer portal too, but it definitely wasn't enough and he hasn't really proven himself as a head coach in the NIL era. Clemson doesn't have the talent that they had last season and LSU is going to be eager to make a statement in this season opener that they are back and a true threat to win the National Championship this season. They have the talent and the head coach to be a great team this year too. The best way to place a bet here is on LSU to cover the spread in this game. 

Clemson LSU Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 5, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is LSU 27 Clemson 14.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Clemson Tigers LSU Tigers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Clemson Tigers: 34-17 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 27-18 ATS in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 16-8 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 8-1 UNDER in road lined games. 

LSU Tigers: 9-17 ATS in all lined games. 5-10 ATS as a favorite. 1-6 ATS when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 17-7 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 11-4 UNDER as a favorite. 

Clemson Tigers:  C. Turner (WR) Out - Personal. P. Streko (RB) Out - Undisclosed.

LSU Tigers:  W. Watkins Jr. (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed.

"We really tried to challenge some guys who think they're game-ready. Some of them got a baptism today. They got exposed a little bit today. Part of that is because I held a limited amount of dudes that I think have made the team and are ready to play. It's kind of like the last preseason game. You've got some guys who are given a chance to be the guy, and they showed why they are not the guy.” - Dabo Swinney on his team’s last scrimmage before the new college football season starts. 

“The judge found that these players should have been told and should have known that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year, which every player moving forward, every athlete in all sports has. They should’ve known that in December when they were making decisions. Had they known that, they would’ve stayed (in college).” - Lane Kiffin on pursuing NFL players to come back to college for this CFB season.

WR Wesco Jr., Bryant

WR Moore, T.J.

WR Burroughs, Naeem

TE Bentancur, Christian

QB Vizzina, Christopher

RB Davidson, Gideon

WR Brown, Jayce

WR Harris, Jackson

WR Watkins Jr., Winston

TE Green, Trey'Dez

QB Leavitt, Sam

RB Jones, Dilin

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Clemson Tigers: Dabo Swinney (19th season)

LSU Tigers: Lane Kiffin (1st season)