We’ve talked about it all offseason.
Now we finally get to see it.
Lane Kiffin will coach his first game at LSU on Saturday night against Clemson, and there might not be a more fascinating team in college football entering Week 1.
Because expectations aren’t exactly low.
Kiffin wasn’t brought to Baton Rouge to slowly rebuild LSU.
He was brought there to win championships.
And he immediately gets an opportunity to show what his version of LSU could look like against another major program trying to bounce back from a disappointing season.
The biggest storyline will be Sam Leavitt.
The former Arizona State quarterback takes over Kiffin’s offense after already proving he can play at a high level, including helping lead the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Now imagine what he could become with Kiffin calling the offense.
LSU also has plenty of weapons around him, giving Kiffin an opportunity to immediately build one of the most explosive offenses in the SEC.
But Saturday isn’t just about Leavitt.
It’s our first real look at the entire Lane Kiffin experiment.
Kiffin spent years building Ole Miss into a legitimate contender. Now he has LSU’s resources, recruiting territory and expectations behind him.
There’s really nowhere to hide anymore.
Winning 9 or 10 games might have been considered a great season at Ole Miss.
At LSU, eventually, you have to compete for national championships.
Saturday night against Clemson is only Game 1.
But considering everything LSU invested in Kiffin and this roster, it won’t take long before people start judging whether this experiment is going to work.
The Lane Kiffin era has officially arrived.
