Clemson at LSU

LSU fired Brian Kelly in the middle of last season and now hands the program to Lane Kiffin for his first game in Baton Rouge, a marquee opener against a Clemson team that presents a much tougher measuring stick than a typical Week 1 debut. New coaching installs, especially on a stage this big, tend to play tighter and more carefully than a fully installed system would, and that caution usually shows up in scoring more than in style points. Clemson's defense held up well a year ago, allowing just over 20 points a game under Dabo Swinney, continuity that LSU's shuffled roster and coaching staff simply doesn't have on the other side of the ball. LSU's own defense was solid too, giving up under 20 points a game last season, which caps Clemson's ceiling even with a more established system in place after a 7-6 finish of its own. Two capable defenses meeting in a spot where one sideline is running a brand-new operation for the first time points toward a cautious, low-scoring measuring-stick game rather than an early-season shootout. This is the kind of environment where both staffs play it close to the vest rather than take risks. The UNDER is the play tonight.