LSU vs. Clemson Odds and Picks
In a Week 1 meeting between two teams with national title aspirations, the Clemson Tigers host the LSU Tigers at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Saturday, August 30th. These teams have a lot in common, as they share a team name and call their homes “Death Valley.” But only one of them will emerge with a resume-boosting win here. We’re going to be diving into some of the biggest college football games of the week all season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds and picks for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 1 College Football Betting Hub for a look at all of our college football betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How to Watch LSU vs. Clemson
Where: Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina
When: Saturday, August 30th at 7:30 pm ET
Channel: ESPN
LSU vs. Clemson Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of 2:00 pm ET on Wednesday, August 27th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Clemson -180, LSU +150
Spread: Clemson -4 (-108), LSU +4 (-112)
Total: Over 57.5 (-110), Under 57.5 (-110)
LSU vs. Clemson Analysis
Clemson returns more of last season’s production than any other team in college football, and one of the returners is Heisman candidate Cade Klubnik. After failing to live up to expectations in 2023, Klubnik exploded for 3,639 passing yards with 36 touchdowns and only six picks in 2024. Klubnik also rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns, and he saved some of his best stuff for the end of the year. Klubnik turned in some big-time performances against SMU and Texas once the postseason started, and that’s part of the reason he’s starting to appear at the top of 2026 NFL mock drafts.
Klubnik will be joined by one of the best receiving trios in the nation in Antonio Williams, TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco. Clemson also has a good offensive line, a dynamic freshman running back in Gideon Davidson and a good play caller in Garrett Riley. So, it certainly feels like the sky is the limit for this offense. What about the defense?
There are reasons to be optimistic about the Clemson defense, as Dabo Swinney replaced coordinator Wes Goodwin with Tom Allen. Goodwin was a disaster after taking over for Brent Venables, so Allen should be a huge upgrade after having done a great job with the Penn State defense. Clemson is also stacked along the defensive line, where TJ Parker and Peter Woods could be some of the best players in all of college football this year. The talent scattered throughout the rest of the defense is also incredibly impressive. But how much will the unit really improve in one year?
Clemson was outside the nation’s Top 50 in yards per play allowed (5.3) a year ago, and the team struggled mightily against the run. Allen should be able to patch that up with the bodies the team has up front, but there could be an opportunity for LSU to hit some big plays on the ground in this game. The running game really wasn’t a priority for LSU last year, but the team is loaded with shifty players out of the backfield. And Clemson is going to need to be more prepared for the passing game, as Garrett Nussmeier is a star and attempted the second-most passes per game of any quarterback in 2024.
Nussmeier should also have his way as a passer in this one, even with Clemson having a star-studded secondary. We have seen time and time again that this LSU passing game is explosive no matter who the opponent is, and this year won’t be any different. Nussmeier is right on Klubnik’s level as a passer, and there’s a chance he’ll unseat the Clemson quarterback as the top prospect in next year’s draft. He’s fearless attacking every part of the field, and he should be able to make some things happen in this game. LSU is good at scheming receivers open, but the team also happens to have an elite group of wideouts.
The LSU defense also happens to have the potential to be a top-10 unit in the country this year. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker proved to be one of the best defensive play callers in the country at Missouri. Then, in Year 1 in Baton Rouge, he took one of the worst defenses in college football from 2023 and built a respectable unit in 2024. This year, with stars back healthy, young guys set to improve and high-profile transfers coming in, the next step is going from ordinary to extraordinary.
I can’t be a hypocrite and say that Clemson’s great offense won’t do damage against LSU’s potentially-great defense, as I did say Nussmeier and Co. can do that against Swinney’s defense. However, this is a game that could be extremely high in scoring, with the point total being all the way up at 57.5. And if this does turn into a shootout, I trust LSU’s defense to come up with a few extra key stops. That could make the difference.
Speaking of that 57.5-point total, it’s worth mentioning that the Over has been a good bet in LSU games since Kelly took over. In the 40 games he has coached for LSU, the Over has hit in 25 of them. Also, this total has gone up since opening at 56.5, which likely means there’s been some significant action on the Over — which is something our VSiN betting splits can back up.
The betting splits also show that bettors like Clemson here, as this thing opened at 2.5 and is up to 3.5 at DraftKings — and 4 in other spots. People clearly think the Clemson home-field advantage will be hard to overcome for an LSU program that has lost five Week 1 games in a row.
LSU vs. Clemson Prediction
Brian Kelly hasn’t been able to figure out Week 1 games with LSU, but I think that’ll change this year. While Clemson deserves all of the buzz it’s getting as a national title contender, LSU should probably be a bigger part of that conversation. Kelly hit the transfer portal extremely hard, filling every gap from 2024 with a high-level player. That should be felt on defense most, where Baker can be trusted to keep things going in the right direction — and potentially turn this into a feared unit.
This feels like a game where both offenses will trade blows, but I’ve said it before: I like the LSU defense to come up with a few more plays. I also like that Nussmeier came up with the goods in some close games last year. If this thing is tight late in the fourth quarter, he should be able to make some big throws. With that in mind, this is a game I think LSU can win. But if you’re playing it, find a shop where you can take 4 and give yourself a little cushion.
Lean: LSU +4 (-110)
