No. 11 LSU hosts No. 23 Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC, in a sold-out Tiger Stadium, with School GameDay on campus and Lane Kiffin teaching his first sport within the constructing.
LSU officers confirmed to ESPN’s Marty Smith that Saturday is probably the most media and celebrity-credentialed sport in Tiger Stadium historical past. The stadium opened in 1924.
LSU received final 12 months’s opener at Clemson 17-10, and each groups completed 7-6 from there. LSU parted with Brian Kelly through the season, and Clemson missed eight wins for the primary time since 2010 underneath Dabo Swinney.
Why is that this the sport that broke the document?
Kiffin left Ole Miss for a $91 million contract in Baton Rouge and spent the offseason on the middle of an eligibility struggle that pulled within the SEC and the NFL.
LSU pursued former NFL gamers granted a fifth 12 months of eligibility by a Louisiana court docket, touchdown tight finish Dae’Quan Wright after Cleveland waived him and a dedication from defensive sort out Zxavian Harris, minimize by New Orleans. The SEC responded with a coverage barring gamers who’ve signed professional contracts, then stated it might comply with the court docket order.
There’s additionally a docuseries following his first season, a brand new weekly present that debuts Thursday in Baton Rouge, and a quarterback in Arizona State switch Sam Leavitt who arrived on the Maxwell Award watch checklist. Clemson counters with continuity underneath Swinney, 9 gamers misplaced to the draft and his largest switch class.
A credential complete measures consideration, and far of the intrigue round this sport was inbuilt courtrooms and information conferences throughout eight months earlier than a snap.
Kiffin opened sport week on Monday discussing the hoopla surrounding the competition.
“It is superior having School GameDay right here. I feel that speaks lots (about) the place LSU is as a program and the way it’s seen. That is what children need. They wish to be the nationwide sport of the week they usually need School GameDay to cowl them, so actually excited for that half, however once more this will likely be about preparation, not hype. There’s a lot hype on this sport.” Kiffin stated in his Monday information convention.
