LSU Tigers 2026-2027 Season Outlook: Schedule, Odds & Tickets

LSU’s downward spiral continued after the Tigers finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 7–6 record. The Tigers started the year 5–1, highlighted by a season-opening victory at Clemson. However, the season unraveled as injuries along the offensive line, a weak running game and inconsistent quarterback play exposed the offense’s shortcomings. Brian Kelly was dismissed following the team’s struggles, with running backs coach Frank Wilson serving as interim head coach. LSU’s season ended with a loss to Houston in the Texas Bowl.

Last November, former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was hired to succeed Kelly. Kiffin enters Baton Rouge with a 116–53 career record after successful stops at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. During his time in Oxford, he posted a 55–19 record, became the third-winningest coach in program history and led the Rebels to the program’s first 11-win season. LSU signed Kiffin to a seven-year, $91 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

Charlie Weis Jr. left Ole Miss to become LSU’s offensive coordinator. Under Weis Jr., the Rebels consistently fielded one of the SEC’s top-three offenses, highlighted by a record-breaking 2024 campaign. Ole Miss set school records for total offense, yards per play, passing yards and passing yards per game. Last season, the Rebels totaled 7,345 offensive yards, becoming the first team in program history to surpass 7,000 yards in a season.

Kiffin also brought several assistants from Ole Miss, including Kevin Smith, Joe Cox, George McDonald and Dane Stevens, as LSU looked to install much of the offensive structure that produced the Rebels’ record-setting attack.

Blake Baker rejected a head coaching offer from Tulane to remain on Kiffin’s staff as defensive coordinator. LSU’s defense ranked third in the SEC in pass efficiency defense, fifth in scoring defense and sixth in total defense last season under Baker.

Seven LSU players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, headlined by cornerback Mansoor Delane. Delane was selected sixth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs to fill the void left by Trent McDuffie. During his final season at LSU, Delane led the Tigers with 11 pass breakups and two interceptions. Safety AJ Haulcy and wide receiver Zavion Thomas were selected in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, respectively. Fellow draft pick Barrion Brown led LSU with 532 receiving yards, while Thomas added 488 receiving yards and four touchdowns before both were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Brown, tight end Bauer Sharp and linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. were all selected in the sixth round. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier rounded out LSU’s draft class after being selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round.

Despite battling a spinal cyst, Nussmeier threw for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 67.4% of his passes. Michael Van Buren Jr. stepped in during Nussmeier’s absence, throwing for 1,010 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. LSU’s running game struggled to find consistency, as Cade Durham led the Tigers with 505 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Harlem Berry added 491 rushing yards. Aaron Anderson added 398 receiving yards, while tight end Trey’Dez Green led the Tigers with seven receiving touchdowns.

LSU will also need to replace significant production on defense after Haulcy recorded 89 total tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble in 2025. Perkins Jr. led the Tigers with four sacks while also intercepting three passes, and West Weeks contributed 2.5 sacks.

247Sports ranked LSU’s 2026 transfer class as the best in the nation. The Tigers signed three five-star transfers: Sam Leavitt, Jordan Seaton and Princewill Umanmielen. Leavitt brings star power to the quarterback room after throwing for 4,652 yards and 36 touchdowns in 24 games while leading Arizona State to a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. Seaton gives LSU a proven blindside protector after allowing just one sack, five pressures and no quarterback hits last season.

Umanmielen earned Third-Team All-SEC honors in 2025 after recording 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 18 solo tackles, providing a much-needed boost to LSU’s pass rush. Boise State transfer Ty Benefield is expected to step into Haulcy’s role in the secondary, while Eugene Wilson III adds elite speed and playmaking ability to the receiving corps. Aliou Bah and Devin Harper complete LSU’s offensive line rebuild, giving the Tigers three experienced additions to protect the quarterback and bolster the running game.

LSU’s 2026 schedule will provide an early test for Kiffin and the Tigers’ retooled roster. Notable matchups include Clemson, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Auburn, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. The road matchup against Ole Miss could prove especially significant, as Kiffin returns to Oxford to face the program he helped elevate into an SEC contender. With much of the Rebels’ core returning from their historic 2025 campaign, LSU will face one of its toughest road environments of the season.

The Tigers’ conference schedule leaves little margin for error, with multiple preseason contenders on the slate. Navigating that stretch will likely determine whether LSU can contend for an SEC Championship and earn a College Football Playoff berth. Despite the difficulty of the schedule, LSU enters 2026 with one of the nation’s most talented rosters following the arrival of the country’s top-ranked transfer class. If Kiffin’s offense develops quickly and the rebuilt offensive line performs as expected, the Tigers have the talent to return to double-digit wins, although most analysts project LSU to finish with at least eight victories.

FanDuel Sportsbook lists LSU at +370 to win the SEC Championship and +2000 to win the National Championship.

LSU Tigers Schedule & Tickets:

Sat, Sep 5	vs Clemson	7:30 PM		Tickets as low as $190
Sat, Sep 12	vs Louisiana Tech	7:30 PM		Tickets as low as $19
Sat, Sep 19	@ Ole Miss	7:30 PM		Tickets as low as $530
Sat, Sep 26	vs Texas A&M	TBD		Tickets as low as $99
Sat, Oct 3	vs McNeese	7:45 PM		Tickets as low as $16
Sat, Oct 10	@ Kentucky	TBD		Tickets as low as $139
Sat, Oct 17	vs Mississippi State	TBD		Tickets as low as $44
Sat, Oct 24	@ Auburn	12:00 PM		Tickets as low as $174
Sat, Nov 7	vs Alabama	TBD		Tickets as low as $218
Sat, Nov 14	vs Texas	TBD		Tickets as low as $212
Sat, Nov 21	@ Tennessee	TBD		Tickets as low as $204
Sat, Nov 28	@ Arkansas	TBD		Tickets as low as $73