For the third season in a row, LSU will open its season in a standalone Labor Day weekend game against a power conference opponent.
The Tigers are heading to Las Vegas to face Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans in a matchup that will put two teams with a lot of new pieces against each other. It will also be USC’s first game as a member of the Big Ten.
That game is highly anticipated by fans of both teams and outsiders alike, and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy ranked it as the No. 7 non-conference matchup of the 2024 season on his “Always College Football” podcast.
McElroy thinks it’s an intriguing matchup given the fact that both teams have new starting quarterbacks after losing Heisman winners this offseason, and both also have new coordinators on the defensive side of the ball.
He doesn’t think a loss would necessarily spell catastrophe for either team, however.
LSU is hoping to compete for a spot in the 12-team playoff this season, and while it’s going to be a long season against a tough SEC schedule, a win in Week 1 could go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
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