Start time, TV channel announced for Clemson vs. LSU Week 1 college football season opener
Start time, TV channel announced for Clemson vs. LSU Week 1 college football season opener
Week 1 of the 2025 college football season will feature four prominent games between the ACC and SEC, including the Clemson Tigers' much-hyped showdown vs. the LSU Tigers in Memorial Stadium.
Veteran college football insider Brett McMurphy reported Tuesday that Clemson and LSU will kick off in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET from Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.
Earlier that day, Syracuse will face the Tennessee Volunteers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon ET. The game will be televised on ABC. At 3:30 p.m. ET, the Florida State Seminoles will host the Alabama Crimson Tide at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. That game will also be televised on ABC, McMurphy reported.
Virginia Tech and South Carolina are scheduled to meet Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on ESPN.
For Clemson and LSU, it will be their first head-to-head meeting since the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 13, 2020. LSU and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow capped a 15-0 season by beating Dabo Swinney's Tigers, 42-25, at the Superdome in New Orleans.
This year's meeting between Clemson and LSU will be the fifth all-time between the two schools. LSU leads the series, 3-1, with Clemson's only victory coming in the 2012 Peach Bowl, a 25-24 upset on New Year's Eve in Atlanta.
LSU will be making its first trip to Memorial Stadium this season, with Clemson set to make its first visit to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge to open the 2026 college football season.
Clemson went 10-4 a season ago, beating the SMU Mustangs 34-31 on a 56-yard Nolan Hauser game-winning field goal as time expired in the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers lost to the Texas Longhorns, 38-24, in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoffs in Austin.
LSU is coming off a 9-4 season in Brian Kelly's third year in Baton Rouge. LSU ended its season with a 44-31 win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Baton Rouge Super Regional Preview: Schedule, analysis, prediction for LSU vs. WVU
Baton Rouge Super Regional Preview: Schedule, analysis, prediction for LSU vs. WVU LSU baseball is two wins away from a return to Omaha and the College World Series. On Saturday, the Tigers will being a best-of-three series vs. West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional. For LSU, it's the Tigers' 17th super regional appearance since the current format was adopted in 1999. It's the 12th super regional being hosted in Alex Box Stadium. The Box has been kind to LSU in the postseason. The Tigers are 9-3 in Baton Rouge Super Regionals. And even when it looks like hope is lost, Baton Rouge has a way of figuring things out. LSU's last super regional appearance came in 2023, when the Tigers swept Kentucky in two games. Led by Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, that team went on to win the national championship. The last time LSU dropped a super regional in Baton Rouge was 2019, when Florida State got the best of Paul Mainieri's squad. Here's a complete preview of LSU baseball's Baton Rouge Super Regional vs. West Virginia. LSU baseball vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Super Regional: Time and TV schedule GAME 1: Saturday, 1:00 PM CT, ESPN GAME 2: Sunday, 5:00 PM CT, ESPN2 If a Game 3 is necessary, time and TV information will be released this weekend. Elite starting pitching could be the story of the weekend Both LSU and West Virginia are built around elite starting pitching. Both squads have two pitchers at the top of the rotation who could be considered ace's 1A and 1B. For LSU, Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. For West Virginia, its Griffin Kirn and Jack Kartsonas. Anderson and Eyanson are coming off dominant performances in the Baton Rouge Regional and are two of the best strikeout getters in college baseball. In their regional starts, they combined for 14.2 shutout innings. Then Eyanson was called upon again to get the final outs as a reliever in the final. We know what we're getting with these, too. Anderson has a chance to be a top-five draft pick in this year's MLB Draft, while Eyanson is making a strong case to be a first-round pick too. On the other side, Kirn is a tall lefty who can challenge LSU with a three-pitch mix. His fastball sits low 90s, but it has some cut. His wide release makes him tough on lefties. Kirn has a 3.13 ERA in 95 innings this year. Kartsonas, with his 2.94 ERA, might even be better than Kirn. He's pitched fewer innings with 64.1 on the year, but Kartsonas' strikeout rate was one of the best in the Big 12. Who has the lineup to equalize the starting pitching? Both LSU and West Virginia enter the series with some questions about the lineup. Both squads finished their respective regionals with double-digit runs, but that doesn't tell the full story. LSU struggled to score on Sunday night vs. Little Rock when the power disappeared. That's been a problem for LSU at multiple points in 2025. When LSU isn't driving the ball, the Tigers have failed to produce runs vs. quality pitching. And LSU will see quality pitching this week. Jay Johnson altered the lineup in the regional final, and it paid off with Ethan Frey in the No. 2 slot. The struggling Jared Jones was moved down to No. 6, and he rewarded Johnson with a two-hit night, including a home run to put the game on ice. That's the Jones LSU needs to show up this weekend. With a lefty getting the start for WVU in Game 1, we could see Johnson make adjustments again. Some of the same questions can be asked about West Virginia. The Mountaineers rank No. 3 in the Big 12 with a .299 batting average, but ranked 11th in slugging and home runs. Just one Mountaineer has double-digit homers in 2025. This isn't a lineup that does damage with the home run. That should work in LSU's favor. Anderson and Eyanson have been susceptible to homers, but it's not easy to string hits together vs. the Tigers' aces. WVU doesn't strike out much, which means the ball will be put in play. But more good news for LSU: The Tigers' defense is good at converting balls in play to outs. LSU's lineup has the advantage With all of that in mind, I feel better about the LSU bats this weekend. Yes, there have been times when LSU has gone silent at the plate, but this is still a top 25 lineup. Meanwhile, West Virginia ranks outside the top 90 in key categories. LSU needs a pitcher to step up LSU is set with Anderson and Eyanson, but there are questions elsewhere on the pitching staff. Last week, Jay Johnson handed the ball to Jaden Noot on Sunday, and Noot couldn't make it out of the second inning. The same thing happened when Johnson gave Zac Cowan a start on Monday. Casan Evans entered in relief of Cowan and was dynamite for six innings. It's clear Evans is the third-best pitcher on this staff right now, but LSU will need more than three pitchers to get it done this weekend. Yes, there's a scenario where Anderson throws a complete game and then Eyanson and Evans combine to shut down the Mountaineers on Sunday, but you can't count on that. Whether it's Noot, Cowan, or Chase Shores, LSU needs another arm it can rely on. Cowan was one of the nation's top relievers before his recent struggles. If he can get back to the Cowan we saw in April, LSU is set. Even if LSU makes it through the super regional without finding another pitcher it can trust, LSU will need guys to step up in Omaha. You can't win a College World Series with just three pitchers. What does West Virginia's pitching depth look like? WVU's top reliever is Reese Bassinger. After Kirn pitched 7.1 strong innings in the regional opener vs. Kentucky, Bassinger entered to shut it down. Bassinger is far from unhittable, though. He's posted a 4.28 ERA in 61 innings this year and doesn't have the strikeout stuff you'd expect from a closer. Expect to see Chase Meyer in a high-leverage spot at some point. He owns a 4.09 ERA but has struck out 62 in just 44 innings. What the Massey Ratings say The Massey Ratings rank every team in the country based on scores and strength of schedule. Here's how LSU and WVU matchup: Stat LSU WVU Overall Rating Ranking 5th 15th Offense Ranking 16th 29th Defense/Pitching Ranking 3rd 30th Strength of schedule 62nd 79th LSU vs. West Virginia Betting Odds Here are the Baton Rouge Super Regional betting odds, courtesy of BetMGM. LSU -400, West Virginia +310 That puts LSU's handle-adjusted odds of winning the series at 76.61%. Prediction Its hard to pick against LSU in Baton Rouge, and I'm not going to be the one to do it. I think LSU sweeps West Virginia behind stellar outings from Anderson and Eyanson. I like the Tigers.
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Top 25 college athletes with highest NIL valuations
The complicated, frustrating and often murky world of NIL (name, image and likeness) has touched every corner of college sports. From college football and basketball to gymnastics and softball, the landscape of college athletics drastically changed four years ago when the NCAA changed rules to allow student athletes to profit from NIL. Names like Shedeur Sanders, Bronny James and Livvy Dunne topped the charts when it comes to NIL valuations in the past. In fact, we got a sense of how much money Cooper Flagg agreed to in NIL endorsements during his one year at Duke recently, as he's expected to become the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. As the summer approaches, we're one step closer to the 2025-26 academic year, and there's a new crop of athletes topping the NIL charts. Remember, NIL deals are not solely dependent on athletic performance on the field. Sanders, who had a reported $4.7 million valuation last year — the highest among college football players — was not a Heisman Trophy finalist and went on to be a fifth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns. Arch Manning, who had the second-highest reported NIL valuation heading into last year's college football season at $3.8 million, had not started a college game before last season. With that, here is a look at the top 25 college athletes with the highest NIL valuations heading into the 2025-26 academic year. *NIL valuations are from which calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects outcomes over the next 12 months. 1. Texas QB Arch Manning ($6.8 million) Manning instantly became one of the most-valued athletes in college sports the moment he stepped foot on campus in Austin, Texas in 2023, holding a $3.8 million NIL valuation at the time. Manning has reportedly inked deals or partnered with EA Sports, Red Bull, Uber and Vuori as he prepares for his first full season as Texas' starting quarterback. While Manning is the highest-valued NIL athlete in college sports, he doesn't take any money from Texas' NIL collective, the Houston Chronicle previously reported. 2. Miami (Fla.) QB Carson Beck ($4.3 million) Beck initially declared for the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason before surprisingly transferring to Miami. It was rumored that Beck received $3 to $4 million from Miami's NIL collective to make the move to South Florida, moving on from Georgia after he helped the Bulldogs win the SEC title in 2024. According to On3, Beck has inked 11 deals and partnerships over his college career, with Chipotle, Beats By Dre and Powerade headlining the notable brands. 3. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith ($4.2 million) Following a standout freshman season, Smith shot up the board as one of the most valuable players in college sports. He was recently unveiled as a co-cover star athlete for "College Football 26," adding to the list of notable endorsement deals he has secured. He has reported deals with American Eagle, Lululemon, Red Bull and Nintendo, among others. Smith also agreed to a local car dealership deal — which appeared to gift him a new Mercedes — in May. Before he even steps on the court in Provo, Utah, Dybantsa is already one of the highest-valued players in college sports with reported deals with Nike and Red Bull. It was reported at the time of his commitment that he secured a deal worth around $7 million, giving one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft a significant payday. 5. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier ($3.7 million) Nussmeier opted to forgo early entry into the 2025 NFL Draft, making him one of the top prospects in 2026. Set to enter his second season as LSU's starter, Nussmeier has multiple reported NIL deals and partnerships, including Powerade and EA Sports, among others. 6. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers ($3.7 million) Sellers was one of the SEC's breakout stars in 2024, winning the conference's Offensive Freshman of the Year Award. He has reportedly secured NIL deals with Collegiate Legends and Cheez-It, and another strong year could help him continue to climb this list. 7. Florida QB DJ Lagway ($3.7 million) Similar to Sellers, Lagway was also a breakout star in 2024. He went 6-1 in the seven starts he made as a true freshman, helping Florida turn its season around. He has reportedly earned an NIL deal with Nintendo since the end of the season, while Gatorade has featured him in a commercial, as he agreed to a deal with the iconic brand before his freshman year. Lagway certainly seems to be a candidate to be No. 1 on this list next year if Manning declares for the draft. 8. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik ($3.4 million) Klubnik, who FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt recently named as his top quarterback for the 2025 season, is entering his third year as Clemson's starter. He led the Tigers to an ACC title last season and reportedly has existing NIL deals with Rhoback and ONIT, among others. 9. Penn State QB Drew Allar ($3.1 million) Allar turned down early entry into the 2025 NFL Draft despite speculation he could be an early-round pick. According to On3, Allar hasn't logged any new NIL deals since he helped Penn State reach the CFP last season. However, he reportedly has pre-existing deals with Bose and Frosted Flakes. 10. Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt ($3.1 million) Leavitt only has a pair of reported NIL endorsement deals, agreeing to partnerships with Jones Ford Verde Valley and Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers, but he also agreed to a deal with Arizona State's NIL collective in January, shutting down transfer rumors. 11. Michigan QB Bryce Underwood ($3 million) After dealing with struggles at quarterback during the 2024 season, Michigan made Underwood a reported offer through its NIL collective worth $10.5 million over four years to get him to flip his commitment from LSU to the Wolverines. Underwood, ranked as the top quarterback recruit in the Class of 2025, wound up flipping his commitment to remain in his home state of Michigan. 12. Texas Tech F JT Toppin ($2.8 million) Toppin has the highest NIL valuation among returning college basketball players this upcoming year. It was reported that Toppin is expected to earn $4 million in NIL after forgoing entry into the 2025 NBA Draft. Toppin won Big 12 Player of the Year and was named a second-team All-American after scoring 18.2 points per game in the 2024-25 season. 13. Duke QB Darian Mensah ($2.8 million) Duke landed Mensah in the transfer portal after he had a strong first season as Tulane's starting quarterback (2,723 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions) in 2024. It was reported that Mensah earned an $8 million deal from Duke's NIL collective to transfer to the school in December 2024. 14. Oklahoma QB John Mateer ($2.7 million) Mateer is also among the list of the most valuable college athletes after transferring from Washington State to Oklahoma this offseason. Klatt recently ranked him as his third-best quarterback for the 2025 season after he threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go with 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. 15. Alabama WR Ryan Williams ($2.7 million) The other co-cover star athlete of "College Football 26" is among the most valuable athletes in college sports for 2025-26. Williams emerged as one of the best receivers as a 17-year-old freshman in 2024, recording 865 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Williams also has a pretty diverse list of NIL endorsement deals as well, reportedly securing partnerships with Uber Eats, Hollister and Sally Hansen. 16. TCU QB Josh Hoover ($2.4 million) Hoover doesn't have any listed NIL brand deals on On3 beyond the one he has with TCU's NIL collective. However, after his strong 2024 season (3,949 yards, 27 touchdowns, 11 interceptions), he could've earned more this offseason. Tennessee offered Hoover roughly $1 million more in NIL money than what he's currently receiving at TCU, which is at least seven figures, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in April . 17. Ohio State S Caleb Downs ($2.4 million) Ohio State has two of the highest-valued non-quarterbacks in college football entering the 2025 season. Downs, who is arguably the best defensive player in the nation (81 total tackles, two interceptions in 2024), has a few reported NIL brand deals, highlighted by partnerships with Panini, Beats by Dre and American Eagle. He also signed an NIL deal with Ohio State's collective, The Foundation, when he transferred from Alabama following Nick Saban's retirement in 2024. 18. North Carolina State QB CJ Bailey ($2.3 million) Bailey doesn't have any known NIL deals with brands, but he signed a new deal with NC State's collective, One Pack, in December 2024 to remain in Raleigh, North Carolina. That deal helped ensure Bailey wouldn't transfer after he scored 22 total touchdowns to go with 2,413 passing yards as a true freshman in 2024. 19. Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola ($2.3 million) Following a wild recruiting process that saw him commit to two schools before landing at Nebraska in 2024, Raiola has earned a few NIL deals with notable brands. He reportedly signed a deal with Panini right after he committed to Nebraska in December 2023, before signing a deal with Campus Ink early in his freshman season. He reportedly signed an endorsement deal with Adidas in April, following in the footsteps of his idol, Patrick Mahomes. He also has a deal with Nebraska's NIL collective, 1890. 20. Michigan F Yaxel Lendeborg ($2.3 million) Lendeborg announced he was transferring from UAB to Michigan in April, but he wasn't fully committed to the Wolverines until he removed his name from the 2025 NBA Draft in May. The top-ranked player in the transfer portal this offseason by 247 Sports, Lendeborg received an NIL package believed to be in the neighborhood of $3 million to return to school, CBS Sports previously reported. Lendeborg was viewed as a potential first-round pick prior to his decision to remove his name from the 2025 NBA Draft, as he was named first-team All-AAC the past two seasons. 21. Arkansas QB Taylen Green ($2.1 million) Green earned a few endorsement deals with local companies during his time at Boise State before he transferred to Arkansas ahead of the 2024 season. After transferring, he reportedly signed a deal with the school's NIL collective, Arkansas Edge. It's unclear how much that deal is worth, but the collective helped Green land an endorsement deal with a local car dealership in 2024, which landed him a Ram 1500 truck. 22. Florida G Boogie Fland ($2.1 million) Similar to Lendeborg, Fland was one of the top players in the transfer portal this offseason but also declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. He removed his name from the draft in May, while simultaneously announcing his transfer from Arkansas to Florida. The defending champion's NIL collective reportedly gave Fland a package worth over $2 million, according to CBS Sports. 23. UCLA G Donovan Dent ($2 million) Dent, who won Mountain West Player of the Year at New Mexico this past season, reportedly received a $3 million NIL deal to transfer to UCLA in March, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican. He received $2 million of that deal up front, while he'll earn the other $1 million during the 2025-26 season. 24. UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava ($2 million) Iameleava arguably became the face of the NIL debate this offseason. He transferred out of Tennessee after the program reportedly denied his request for a pay raise from its NIL collective, seeking $4 million annually. He wound up at UCLA, agreeing to an NIL deal rumored to be in the $1.5 million range, according to Front Office Sports. That's actually a pay decrease from what he was getting at Tennessee, as he was set to earn $2.4 million from the Vols' collective in 2025, per ESPN. Iamaleava was also one of 11 college football players to sign a deal with Beats by Dre ahead of the 2024 season. 25. Auburn QB Jackson Arnold ($2 million) Arnold was among the handful of quarterback transfers who reportedly earned a multi-million-dollar payday this offseason. It has been rumored that Arnold received a deal worth at least $2 million to transfer from Oklahoma, which got a laugh out of former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron. Arnold finished the year with 1,421 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, three interceptions, 444 rushing yards and three rushing scores. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Where former Florida football coach Urban Meyer ranks among the best of the 21st century
Where former Florida football coach Urban Meyer ranks among the best of the 21st century A full quarter of the 21st century has already elapsed and the first 25 years of the new millennium have been an exciting one for college football. The first two-and-a-half decades have seen dynasties come and go, with many teams ebbing and flowing in the collegiate gridiron landscape. Probably the most important part of a program is the head coach, who is responsible for every aspect of the school's student-athletes and is ultimately the one who receives the most credit (or blame) depending on the level of success. Many men have tried to succeed at the FBS level, but few have truly excelled. The Athletic recently took a look at the top 25 head coaches since the turn of the century, with Urban Meyer — who helped lead the Florida Gators to not one but two national titles — landing second overall. Former UF coach Bob Stoops was also lauded for his success with the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 6, but we will focus on the one who served as the skipper during the Orange and Blue's golden years. Breaking down Urban Meyer's accomplishments Accomplishments: Three national championships, two additional undefeated seasons, seven conference championships, nine top-five finishes "Only two coaches have won a national championship at multiple schools, and they top this list. Meyer won two at Florida in 2006 and 2008 before stepping away due to health concerns. He returned at Ohio State a few years later and opened with an undefeated season in 2012, though the Buckeyes were banned from the postseason due to the Tattoogate scandal under Tressel, but then won it all in 2014. "Meyer also went undefeated at Utah in 2004 with Alex Smith at quarterback, as the Utes became the first program from outside a power conference to reach a BCS bowl. His 187-39 record is good for a winning percentage of 85%. It's one of the most impressive runs in history, behind only the guy who ended Florida's run (Nick Saban)." The Athletic's top 25 college football coaches of 2000s Nick Saban (LSU, Alabama) Urban Meyer (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State) Pete Carroll (USC) Kirby Smart (Georgia) Dabo Swinney (Clemson) Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) Jim Tressel (Ohio State) Jim Harbaugh (Stanford, Michigan) Mack Brown (Texas, North Carolina) Chris Petersen (Boise State, Washington) Ryan Day (Ohio State) Brian Kelly (Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, LSU) Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, Texas A&M) Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) Gary Patterson (TCU) James Franklin (Vanderbilt, Penn State) Les Miles (Oklahoma State, LSU, Kansas) Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami) Kyle Whittingham (Utah) Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma, USC) Mark Dantonio (Cincinnati, Michigan State) Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) Bill Snyder (Kansas State) Chip Kelly (Oregon, UCLA) Mike Leach (Texas Tech, Washington State, Mississippi State) Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
