LSU Football Lands at No. 1 in College Football Playoff Prediction After Clemson Win

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The LSU Tigers remain in national headlines after taking down No. 4 Clemson on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in a thrilling 17-10 victory.

Brian Kelly snapped the program's five game losing streak in season openers, with three under his watch, after earning the Week 1 win.

“Those narratives were never anything that we bought into as a program,” Kelly said. “Look, people build up the first game to a level of craziness. I mean, look at the quarterbacks that are under incredible scrutiny.

"So I just think that in this business, you have to stay focused on what your job is, and my job is to bring a football team on the road, play with great confidence and composure and compete their tails off for four quarters.

"That’s my job, not to worry about what other people say. I get it. It’s out there, but they didn’t put me in this position to worry about those things.”

Now, LSU is 1-0 for the first time since 2019 with the Bayou Bengals taking America by storm after the Week 1 win against a top-five foe.

On Monday morning, ESPN's Heather Dinich predicted the Tigers to be ranked the No. 1 team in America over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

No. 3 Ohio State is coming off of a dominant Week 1 win over Arch Manning and the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns.

“LSU should be the No. 1 team in the country,” Dinich said. “They went on the road. Ohio State won at home, albeit against a good team, but they (LSU) beat a good team soundly.

"They made them one-dimensional, and they exposed them. They limited them to 31 rushing yards.”

.@CFBHeather believes LSU will be No. 1 in the country after their win over Clemson pic.twitter.com/NHsXEOxOgf
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 1, 2025

ESPN has revealed their College Football Playoff projections with the LSU Tigers coming in at No. 1.

ESPN's Take: LSU Will Be In

"Throw out the preseason rankings and everything you thought you knew about the best teams in college football. Nobody made a bigger Week 1 statement, on the road against a team capable of winning the ACC and competing for a spot in the playoff.

"The committee starts from scratch, and LSU showed all of the components it looks for -- from a Heisman hopeful in quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to a defense that proved it can play at an elite level."

The 12-Team Projection:

No. 1: LSU Tigers
No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 3: Miami Hurricanes
No. 4: Penn State Nittany Lions
No. 5: Florida State Seminoles
No. 6: Georgia Bulldogs
No. 7: Oregon Ducks
No. 8: Tennessee Volunteers
No. 9: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
No. 10: Texas Longhorns
No. 11: South Carolina Gamecocks
No. 12: Clemson Tigers

LSU has America's attention after a Week 1 win at Clemson with all eyes on what the Bayou Bengals can achieve in 2025.

This article first appeared on LSU Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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