Lane Kiffin, LSU vs. Ole Miss Headlines ESPN's Early-Season CFB Schedule Reveal

The Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge will begin in primetime.

ESPN announced Tuesday that LSU will face Clemson in Week 1 on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC).

LSU will be back on Saturday Night Football two weeks later against Kiffin's former school, Ole Miss, in a matchup that should have plenty of spice given the acrimonious send-off the head coach received after switching schools.

One of the primary storylines of the 2026 season is going to be how Kiffin fares at LSU. Kiffin has flamed out spectacularly at high-profile gigs before (Tennessee, USC, the Oakland Raiders) but has really resurrected his coaching career over the past decade, starting with a three-year stint as Alabama's offensive coordinator (2014-16).

He then went 26-13 in three seasons at Florida Atlantic (2017-19) and 55-19 at Ole Miss (2020-25), culminating in last season's College Football Playoff appearance.

But because Kiffin took the LSU job, he didn't actually coach Ole Miss during the CFP (despite angling very hard to do so).

Kiffin's departure ultimately overshadowed Ole Miss' fantastic season, and there is certain to be plenty of bad blood when he returns to Oxford on Sept. 19.

But the Kiffin factor shouldn't overshadow the fantastic Ohio State vs. Texas matchup in primetime on Sept. 12, a clash of two title contenders.

Arch Manning's Longhorns vs. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith's Buckeyes is one of the premier matchups of the season, following Ohio State's 14-7 win to open the 2025 campaign. Both schools should open the season among the top-ranked schools in the nation.