CBS Sports Names Clemson Among Most Compelling Rematches of 2026

Coming off an underwhelming 7-6 season, the Clemson Tigers are looking to bounce back with a revamped roster in 2026, and their first stop is Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns released his list of college football’s most compelling rematches in 2026 and the Clemson vs. LSU rematch made the cut, which is one of just two ACC-SEC matchups on the list as Florida State versus Alabama also made it.

Bahns opened up the piece by talking about the final result of last year’s contest and how the win for LSU looked like Brian Kelly was finally taking his first big step as the Tigers’ head coach considering both programs entered last year as top-10 teams.

However, it quickly turned sour for Kelly as he would go on to be fired following a 49-25 loss against Texas A&M that dropped the squad to 5-3.

“The 17-10 win over Clemson in last year's opener looked like the first step for Brian Kelly in getting over the hump at LSU,” Bahns said. “Instead, things went off the rails and he lost his job in favor of Lane Kiffin.”

Now, heading into this year both Clemson and LSU have an entirely different roster, with both starting quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier heading to the NFL, as well as a handful of others that left, whether that was through the transfer portal or simply just running out of eligibility.

But, obviously the stark difference between the two programs is that Dabo Swinney still remains at the helm of his squad while Lane Kiffin is a new face in Baton Rouge following a successful five-year tenure with Ole Miss.

Entering 2026, he’s tasked with revitalizing the SEC program after several inconsistent seasons, and he’s already off to a strong start after signing the nation’s second-ranked transfer class with 40 incoming recruits, including former Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green.

“Now, Kiffin debuts against that same Clemson team in the second leg of the series,” he wrote. “After signing the nation's top transfer class, Kiffin will be strongly favored to defeat the other Tigers, who continue to trend in the wrong direction under Dabo Swinney's watch.”

That optimism in Baton Rouge stands in sharp contrast to the questions surrounding Clemson. While LSU is being praised for its aggressive roster overhaul under Kiffin, Bahns isn’t nearly as bullish on where the Tigers stand heading into 2026.

“Significant roster turnover marked by losses of numerous NFL-caliber starters lends itself to pessimism for Clemson in 2026,” Bahns finished.

Still, season openers have a way of rewriting narratives as we saw last year. Clemson enters the year with something to prove, and a road trip to Louisiana offers an immediate measuring stick.