Brian Kelly emphasizing need for LSU to start 1-0 in 2025: 'It's important to us'

Heading into the 2025 season, expectations are high for Brian Kelly‘s LSU program in his fourth year at the helm.

Week one however boasts an unfortunate stigma for the Tigers as of late, as they have lost five consecutive season openers dating back to the 2020 season.

2020: 44-34 L vs. Mississippi State
2021: 38-27 L @ UCLA
2022: 24-23 L vs Florida State (Louisiana Kickoff)
2023: 45-24 L vs No. 8 Florida State (Camping World Kickoff)
2024: 27-20 L vs No. 23 USC (Vegas Kickoff Classic)

This year, LSU opens the season on August 30 at Clemson, another program vying to reach the College Football Playoff once again this season. Kelly touched on how important starting the season 1-0 is at this week’s SEC Media Days.

“We have a great deal of respect for Clemson,” Kelly said. “I think that’s a given because of my background playing Clemson as an ACC team. So I have great respect for what Dabo [Swinney] has built and the championships. But at the end of the day, our feeling is that this is a goal of ours. This is one of our tangible goals that we have put out front that we want to start the season 1-0. It’s important to us. So our offseason training has been about that.”

A win over Clemson would mark stellar start to season

“It’s about going 1-0 and playing a great program. And we’re excited about the challenge. It’s going to be difficult, but I don’t think you can set realistic goals unless they’re difficult. This will be a difficult challenge for us, but one that we’re excited about and one we’re focused on with great intent.”

Star junior linebacker Whit Weeks touched on this losing streak as well.

“We know what our past records have been in home games and everyday we go into work to change that narrative,” Weeks said. “Everybody in the whole building knows what the goals are for the whole season and Clemson‘s just the first team we have to beat to achieve those goals.”

Kelly has led LSU to a 29-11 (17-7) record since taking over the program from Ed Oregon following the 2021 season. The Tigers however have yet to finish inside the top-10 of the final AP Rankings, and even finished last season unranked following a 44-31 win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

A win over Clemson in the season opener would be LSU‘s best start to a season since 2019, when it went 15-0 and won the National Championship.