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LSU to Host ESPN College GameDay for Kiffin DebutLSU to Host ESPN College GameDay for Kiffin Debut

LSU to Host ESPN College GameDay for Kiffin Debut

BATON ROUGE – LSU Football will usher in the Lane Kiffin era by hosting ESPN’s College GameDay for the season-opener against Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 5, the network announced on Tuesday.

The announcement of College GameDay coming to Baton Rouge for the season-opener marks the second time the show will originate from the LSU campus during the opening weekend of the college football season. LSU also hosted the season-opening College GameDay in 2004 when the Tigers beat Oregon State, 22-21, in overtime.

The 2026 season-opening show on the LSU campus will mark the 500th College Game Day roadshow as ESPN enters its 40th season of GameDay. College GameDay started in 1987 and originally broadcast from the ESPN studio in Bristol, Conn.

ESPN took the show on the road for the first time in 1993 and made its first appearance on the LSU campus in 1996 when the Tigers hosted Alabama.

College GameDay will be making its 15th appearance on the LSU campus and the first since November of 2024 when college football’s most popular pregame show was in town for the Alabama contest. LSU ranks No. 4 all-time in number of times hosting College GameDay, trailing only Ohio State (26), Alabama (20) and Michigan (16).

LSU’s appearance on College GameDay for the season-opener against Clemson will mark the 37th time the Tigers have been one of the show’s featured teams. LSU is 22-14 all-time when appearing as a featured team on College GameDay, a mark that includes a 7-7 mark when the show comes to Baton Rouge.

Details on show location on the LSU campus will be announced as football season nears.

LSU’s All-Time College GameDay History

  • Date City (Location) Matchup Result
    Nov. 9, 1996 Baton Rouge (PMAC ramps) #11 LSU vs. #10 Alabama L, 26-0
    Oct. 11, 1997 Baton Rouge (PMAC ramps) #14 LSU vs. #1 Florida W, 28-21
    Sept. 20, 2003 Baton Rouge (PMAC ramps) #11 LSU vs. #7 Georgia W, 17-10
    Dec. 6, 2003 Atlanta, Ga. #3 LSU vs. #5 Georgia W,34-13
    Jan. 4, 2004 New Orleans, La. #2 LSU vs. #3 Oklahoma W, 21-14
    Sept. 4, 2004 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #4 LSU vs. Oregon State W, 22-21 (OT)
    Nov. 12, 2005 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #5 LSU vs. #4 Alabama W, 16-13 (OT)
    Oct. 7, 2006 Gainesville, Fla. #9 LSU vs. #5 Florida L, 23-10
    Sept. 8, 2007 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #2 LSU vs. #9 Virginia Tech W, 48-7
    Oct. 6, 2007 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #1 LSU vs. #9 Florida W, 28-24
    Jan. 7, 2008 New Orleans, La. #2 LSU vs. #1 Ohio State W, 38-24
    Sept. 20, 2008 Auburn, Ala. #6 LSU vs. #9 Auburn W, 26-21
    Nov. 8, 2008 Baton Rouge (Old Front Nine) #15 LSU vs. #1 Alabama L, 27-21 (OT)
    Oct. 10, 2009 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #4 LSU vs. #1 Florida L, 13-3
    Sept. 4, 2010 Atlanta, Ga. #21 LSU vs. #18 North Carolina W, 30-24
    Sept. 3, 2011 Arlington, Texas #4 LSU vs. #3 Oregon W, 40-27
    Sept. 24, 2011 Morgantown, W.Va. #2 LSU vs. #16 West Virginia W, 47-21
    Nov. 5, 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama W, 9-6 (OT)
    Dec. 3, 2011 Atlanta, Ga. #1 LSU vs. #12 Georgia W, 42-10
    Jan. 9, 2012 New Orleans, La. #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama L, 21-0
    Nov. 3, 2012 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #5 LSU vs. #1 Alabama L, 21-17
    Sept. 28, 2013 Athens, Ga. #6 LSU vs. #9 Georgia L, 44-41
    Nov. 9, 2013 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #10 LSU vs. #1 Alabama L, 38-17
    Oct. 25, 2014 Baton Rouge (Parade Ground) #24 LSU vs. #3 Ole Miss W, 10-7
    Nov. 7, 2015 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #4 LSU vs. #7 Alabama L, 30-16
    Sept. 3, 2016 Green Bay, Wisc. #5 LSU vs. Wisconsin L, 16-14
    Nov. 5, 2016 Baton Rouge (Quad) #15 LSU vs. #1 Alabama L, 10-0
    Nov. 3, 2018 Baton Rouge (Quad) #4 LSU vs. #1 Alabama L, 29-0
    Sept. 7, 2019 Austin, Texas #6 LSU vs. #9 Texas W, 45-38
    Oct. 12, 2019 Baton Rouge (Quad) #5 LSU vs. #7 Florida W, 42-28
    Nov. 9, 2019 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama W, 46-41
    Dec. 7, 2019 Atlanta, Ga. #1 LSU vs. #4 Georgia W, 37-10
    Jan. 13, 2020 New Orleans, La. #1 LSU vs. #3 Clemson W,42-25
    Nov. 4, 2023 Tuscaloosa, Ala. #13 LSU vs. #8 Alabama L, 42-28
    Sept. 14, 2024 Columbia, S.C. #16 LSU vs. South Carolina W, 36-33
    Nov. 9, 2024 Baton Rouge, La. (Quad) #14 LSU vs. #11 Alabama L, 42-23
    Sept. 5, 2026 Baton Rouge, La. (TBD) LSU vs. Clemson