LSU's Schedule Will Force Lane Kiffin to Coach More Aggressively Than He Already Does

It won't be an easy road for the Tigers in 2026.

Jul 23, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It didn't take long for the LSU Tigers football program to jump back into the spotlight after the hiring of head coach Lane Kiffin.

After turning the Ole Miss Rebels into a College Football Playoff program, Kiffin is now tasked with getting the Tigers back to being one of the best teams in the country.

However, that won't be an easy task for the new head coach in his first season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have a brutal schedule this season, which means Kiffin will have to take more risks than he already does.

Nothing Is Given

Dec 27, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Louisiana State Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin looks on prior to the game against the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tigers will get things started in 2026 against the Clemson Tigers. Dabo Swinney's squad may not be the Tigers of old, but this isn't going to be an easy game for the Bayou Bengals.

Two weeks later, the Tigers will face their most anticipated game on the schedule when they travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

There will not be a bigger game on the schedule in the country this season. The winner of that game will change the entire trajectory of their program.

Emotions will be running high in the lead-up to the game against the Rebels, and it will be one where the coaching staff has to refocus the team afterward. Kiffin's staff will have to do that quickly, as they have the Texas A&M Aggies the very next week.

The Gauntlet Never Stops

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The games against the Rebels and Aggies are two heavyweight matchups to get SEC play started this season. But the Tigers' November may be the most difficult slate any team faces this year.

Things get started with a matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide, followed by matchups against the Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers. Then, the Tigers meet the Arkansas Razorbacks in the regular season finale.

It's very possible that three of the Tigers' four opponents in the last month of the regular season will be fighting for a playoff berth, as well as a shot at the SEC crown.

Jul 23, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This isn't breaking news to Coach Kiffin; he's familiar with how the SEC works. But the media is already putting so many expectations on the Tigers this season that anything short of a CFP appearance will look like a failure to outsiders.

Will that cause Kiffin to be more aggressive than he already is? One thing is for sure: if the Tigers survive this gauntlet, they will have earned a playoff spot.

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