After the Brian Kelly era ended in disappointment, LSU fans are eager to see what Lane Kiffin can do in Year 1 of his tenure at the helm of the LSU Football program.
Fans are feeling good about the early days of the Kiffin era, as Kiffin signed three 5-star prospects during the Early Signing Period and inked the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country in January. Among the portal additions are QB Sam Leavitt, OT Jordan Seaton, and EDGE Princewill Umanmielen, who make up three of the top-5 players on the market.
LSU receives two major recruiting wins with 2027 5-star target
Kiffin also retained key playmakers from last year's team including star TE Trey'Dez Green, RB Caden Durham, RB Harlem Berry, and LB Whit Weeks. All of those roster moves have Tiger fans fired up and ready for the 2026 season.
But LSU's 2026 schedule is among the toughest in the country and presents plenty of challenges. That's just life in the SEC, but where does LSU's 2026 schedule rank among other teams in the country?
LSU set to face one of the toughest schedules in the country in Lane Kiffin's first season
According to On3's Crain & Cone, LSU is ranked with the 9th-hardest schedule in the country for the 2026 season. SEC teams make up eight of the top-10 on the list, with Arkansas claiming the toughest SEC schedule at No. 2 in the country. Ohio State leads the list at No. 1.
NEW: Hardest 2026 College Football Schedules via @CrainAndCone👀
— On3 (@On3) February 10, 2026
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LSU's 2026 schedule features plenty of hard-hitting matchups from start to finish. The Tigers open the season with a home tilt against Clemson on September 5. After a home game against Louisiana Tech on September 12, LSU heads to Ole Miss on September 19 in what figures to be one of the most highly-anticipated matchups in all of college football next season. Then, the Tigers host the Texas A&M Aggies on September 26. That's an extremely tricky first month of the season for Kiffin and company.
The month of October features matchups vs McNeese, at Kentucky, vs Mississippi State, and at Auburn. November begins with back-to-back home games against Texas and Alabama, and then ends with back-to-back road games at Tennessee and Arkansas to end the regular season. LSU is the only team in the SEC to end the season with consecutive road games.
LSU is already listed as a 10.5-point favorite over Clemson in the season opener on September 5, and with odds of +1300, currently has the 7th-best odds to win the National Championship next season on DraftKings Sportsbook. Tiger fans are eager for another shot at a national title, and are hoping that Kiffin is able to lead LSU through a difficult schedule in Year 1.