The start of the 2026 college football season is still over six months away, but Tiger fans are already fired up for Year 1 of the Lane Kiffin era. Kiffin's hiring and early moves on the job have brought a new energy to the LSU Football program, and LSU fans are eager to see what Kiffin can cook up in 2026. LSU has not qualified for the College Football Playoff since its historic 2019 National Championship season, which is something Kiffin is looking to change this season.
LSU Football's newest hire reinforces a key priority for Lane Kiffin
Kiffin will begin his first season on the sidelines in Baton Rouge on September 5 against Clemson. LSU went on the road to Clemson to open the 2025 campaign, and walked away with a hard fought 17-10 win. Dabo Swinney and company will now make the return trip to LSU in Week 1 of the 2026 campaign, and it is sure to be an entertaining game to watch unfold.
Professional oddsmakers revealed the opening line for the highly-anticipated contest last month, but the odds have already shifted.
LSU vs Clemson spread moves in LSU's favor
When oddsmakers listed the opening betting odds for LSU vs. Clemson, LSU was favored by 10.5 points. Furthermore, LSU had moneyline odds of -430 while Clemson had odds of +330. Now, those odds have moved in LSU's favor.
As of 8:00 p.m. CT on Monday, February 23, the spread has moved by a full point in LSU's favor. Now as 11.5-point favorites, LSU's moneyline odds now sit at -465 while Clemson's odds to pull off the upset have moved to +350.
The double-digit spread for becoming even larger continues to build expectations for Kiffin's first season donning the purple and gold. The Tigers are already among the favorites to compete for a National Championship, as their +1600 odds are the 9th-best odds to win it all next season.
It's clear that oddsmakers are liking what they are seeing from Kiffin so far at LSU. Along with signing three 5-star recruits to LSU's 2026 recruiting class, Kiffin brought in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country. The portal class is led by former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt, who was the No. 1 player on the market according to On3's College Football Top Transfer Portal Players. After such a disappointing offensive season in 2025, Leavitt figures to lead the Tiger offense to a better season in 2026.