College GameDay heading to LSU-Clemson adds major hype to Week 1
College GameDay is reportedly opening the 2026 season in Baton Rouge for a major SEC-ACC matchup, adding national buzz to Week 1.
The 2026 college football season is still several months away, but some major news was revealed Tuesday morning regarding Week 1 of the season. Everyone's favorite Saturday morning pregame show, ESPN's College GameDay, is reportedly heading to Baton Rouge to open the season, per On3's Pete Nakos . LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1, which will be Lane Kiffin's first game at Tiger Stadium.
A kickoff time for the game has yet to be announced, but it will likely be a primetime game starting around 7:30 p. m. ET.
The battle of the two Tigers also opened the 2025 season at Memorial Stadium, where LSU won 17-10. Now the matchup will flip to LSU's campus and a raucous atmosphere. If the host panel of the previous few years remains the same, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee will bring you coverage up until noon ET.
College GameDay's location announcement Week 1 2026 NEW: College GameDay is set to go to Baton Rouge for LSU vs. Clemson in Week 1, @PeteNakos reports📍 https://t. co/uofBxtgAdM pic.