LSU vs. Clemson tabbed top-10 game of college football season

As we approach the start of another college football season, the excitement for every team in the country is at an all-time high. Everyone is undefeated. Everyone is ready to compete in Week 0 and Week 1.

On Thursday night on Josh Pate’s College Football Show, Pate revealed his 10 biggest games of the year, including the battle of Tigers in Week 1: Clemson vs. LSU.

According to the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, this is a top 10 matchup, setting expectations high for the opening kickoff. LSU needs to get off on the right foot this year, but faces another elite team in Clemson on the road.

Pate dove into what makes this such a big game and what he’s excited to see.

“LSU has been crippled by slow starts, and if it has another one here, it could really set the train with a flat wheel down a treacherous set of tracks,” Pate said. “If they go in there and lose, they’re a three and a half point dog, it’s a national championship contender you’re losing to… no one cares, they’re still going to rag you. Then you have play Florida a couple weeks later, then at Ole Miss and South Carolina. If you start with anything other than an outright win, it’s going to be the same old same old until you change the tune on that.

“If this is a different season for LSU, it’s likely that vibe will have cranked up on the road at Clemson in Week 1. I’m a believer that LSU could validate itself and lose a competitive game there, but I’m in the minority on that.”

As for the Clemson side of things, Pate expounded on the importance of this game for Dabo Swinney’s squad.

“Clemson was 0-3 against the SEC last year, so this is an immediate chance to rectify that,” Pate said. “It’s an opportunity to announce to the world ‘We’re more than just an ACC championship contender. Everyone has LSU in the top four of the SEC, so if you beat them, that’s a big deal. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but if Clemson is the ACC champ and a top four team in September, you’ll probably be saying, this team showed us early on.”

Clemson starts at No. 8 in Debut JP Poll

“The team with the most returning production this year, Clemson is generating plenty of excitement as a potential national championship contender. Cade Klubnik headlines the group coming back following a breakout year in Garrett Riley’s offense.

Clemson won the ACC last year in a thrilling championship game against SMU, and the most notable departure came at running back as Phil Mafah headed to the NFL. While the Tigers might not necessarily have the depth they had in years past, they’re still a Top-10 team in the debut JP Poll.”