Brian Kelly is 0-3 in the first game of each of his three seasons at LSU, and this year his Tigers will go on the road against ACC favorite Clemson.
The non-conference game is not just a crucial early SEC vs. ACC litmus test, but could prove consequential when it comes to College Football Playoff selection.
That’s why Kelly is forcing his team to put so much pressure on it.
“We’ve circled the game,” Kelly said on The College GameDay Podcast.
“I’ve never done that before in openers. It’s all over our weight room. It’s all over our workouts. We’re wearing shirts. I mean, we’re doing the kumbaya of ‘We’re playing Clemson and we need to beat Clemson.’
“So is that too much pressure? No, I think we’ve got enough mature, veteran guys on this team. We had a clear conversation about why we were doing it, and they’re all in on that.”
LSU dropped a one-point decision in Kelly’s first game as head coach against the Seminoles back in 2022, then a 45-24 loss in a rematch in 2023, and finally a touchdown loss against USC in Las Vegas in the 2024 opener.
Kelly was brought on to return LSU to the playoff and the national title race, but those critical early season losses have helped keep the program from getting into the field.
“The fact of the matter is they are exciting openers, and unfortunately we have not done well in those openers and haven’t had the outcomes that we wanted,” Kelly said.
“Clemson will be a great challenge, but one that I think more than anything else, we have a football team that can go on the road. And that’s what you have to do. You have to have a defense that travels.
“We finally have got the roster in a position where I believe these are the kind of games that you want to go and play, and you need to win them.”
The return of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who led one of college football’s top passing offenses, is crucial for LSU’s playoff hopes.
And the addition of what College Football HQ ranked as the No. 2 overall transfer portal class in the country shows Kelly has been able to upgrade his roster on the fly.
Now comes the important part of overcoming that first hurdle.
“I’m not going to make any other statements other than the fact that we need to win the opener, because we’re 0-3,” Kelly said.
“Not that this will be a deciding factor whether you get in the playoff or not — it is a long haul — but we need it as a program and for the fan support, the people to be rallying around this team, which I believe is going to be an outstanding team.”
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