What Clemson Does Better Than LSU And Why It Matters For Week 1 Matchup

Clemson will play the LSU Tigers Baton Rouge for the first time this upcoming season, a year after suffering a 17-10 upset loss at home. This is a revenge game on one of college football's most hostile stages.

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford predicted LSU wins 31-17, saying that "Lane Kiffin is out for blood in Year 1" with a top transfer class, while Clemson "is running out of opportunities to get back to the top."

But Clemson still has real advantages.

Reimagined Offensive Identity

Clemson's biggest advantage in 2026 isn't a single player, a single position group or even a phase of the game. It's a philosophy reset.

The hiring of Chad Morris as offensive coordinator represents the most significant offensive overhaul head coach Dabo Swinney has made in years.

Morris has made his vision for this offense clear during spring practices.

"We want to push the ball down the field at least three times a quarter," Morris said. "And that means the ball traveling in the air 25 yards or more, three times a quarter."

With junior duo Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore giving Clemson an elite-level route runner and a "walking highlight reel" at receiver, Morris will rely on them to maximize deep shots as these are exactly the kinds of players built for his system.

He'll also have some freshman talent to play with in receivers Naeem Burroughs and Connor Salmin. Burroughs is described by ESPN analyst Craig Haubert as "a burner in the 100-meter dash who can take the top off a defense," and Slamin is described as "another big-play threat."

Clemson was looking for help on the offensive side of the ball as it tries to return to the same offensive production it saw under Morris in his first stint, and the era of championship runs after him.

Morris went 42-11 at Clemson as offensive coordinator from 2011-2014, during which Clemson averaged 468.5 yards and 36.3 points per game. After him, the standard rose with Tony Elliott taking over and landing quarterbacks Dashaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, who led the offense to average 501.4 yards and 40.5 points per game.

Now that Clemson has an offensive coordinator with experience in producing efficient offenses, it hopes it can return to that level.

“I think we’ve got some elite offensive personnel, and the name of the game is points,” Swinney said about Morris. “The one thing I know about Chad, he knows how to score points, and so I’m excited to welcome him and his family back.”

Morris will have to do some magic with some inexperienced offensive pieces, but even still, his unit is a major advantage for Clemson.

What LSU Has Going For It

LSU football — Oct 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Louisiana State Tigers fans before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LSU's defensive unit definitely lost a lot of talent to the NFL over the offseason, but it still boasts a lot of experience and a lot of returners who have a keen familiarity with defensive coordinator Blake Baker. That unit will have something to say about Clemson's offensive efforts.

But the biggest counter to Clemson's advantage will be LSU's home-field advantage.

This game will be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, likely on a Saturday night.

And most college football fans would hate to hear that when their team plays LSU in Baton Rouge, it'll be a night game.

Those nights are different than other games at LSU, and even other night games in other hostile environments, and now with LSU's 102,000 fans rallying behind an exciting coaching change, it's "just different."

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