LSU deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry, who handles the football program’s scheduling, has a simple solution for the Tigers’ 0-for-5 stretch in season openers – play better.
LSU’s list of season openers, for the time being, remains stocked with Power Five programs.
At the moment, LSU will open at Clemson next season on Aug. 30, at home against Clemson on Sept. 5, in 2026, and at Houston in 2027 over the Labor Day weekend.
But there is some breather room, if you will. The 2026 schedule has space for an Air B&B team – aka rent-a-win – before Sept. 5 as does the 2028 schedule that is empty at the moment. The 2029 and ’30 seasons have Arizona State but not until Sept. 8 at home and Sept. 14 away, so breathers could be installed.
But asked what type of teams he is looking at on the Tiger Rag radio show Tuesday, Ausberry said, “Well, we’re working with some Power Five schools right now, trying to discuss.”
The No. 18 Tigers (0-1) open their home season Saturday against Nicholls State (0-1) at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Ausberry did allow this about the future, though.
“We’re going to mix it up a little bit,” he said. “Some years we play a USC or a Florida State, And some years we don’t.”
LSU’s last soft opener was in 2019 when the Tigers beat Georgia Southern, 55-3, at home to start the season. It is not a reach to say that dress rehearsal helped LSU the next week in a 45-38 win at No. 9 Texas. Would LSU opening with Texas been as successful that season? And playing Georgia Southern obviously did not damage the national perception of the Tigers. They only finished 15-0 and won the national championship.
But Ausberry still favors the strong opener. Since 2009, LSU is 7-1 in season openers home and away or neutral sites against Power Five programs with a couple of home scrimmages scheduled in between – 41-14 over North Texas in 2012 and a McNeese game in 2015 that was mistakenly canceled due to weather.
“We’ve always done those difficult games to open seasons,” Ausberry said. “Look at our history. Look at the 2011 season – started with Oregon in Arlington, Texas.”
LSU defeated No. 3 Oregon, 40-27, in the opener went on to a 13-0 season before falling to Alabama in the national championship game.
In 2013, LSU beat No. 20 TCU, 37-27, in Arlington. In 2014, the Tigers beat No. 14 Wisconsin in Houston. In 2017, LSU ripped Brigham Young, 27-0, in New Orleans. In 2018, it was No. 8 Miami that fell 33-17 to the Tigers in Arlington.
“It helps your team come into the football season,” said Ausberry, a linebacker at LSU from 1986-89 who was 3-1 in season openers. He enjoyed season opening wins over No. 7 Texas A&M at home in ’86, at No. 15 Texas A&M in 1987, at home against the No. 10 Aggies in ’88 with a 28-16 loss at A&M in 1989.
“It helps with your preparation,” he said. “Your mindset is different when you play a game like that against a USC. I don’t think that helps you to play the easier ones. Guys that really know football and played football, they’re like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to go out there and play, no matter who you’re playing.’ That’s why the great teams win those games.”
And LSU should win such games. The Tigers were favored going into the 45-24 loss to Florida State in the 2023 season and over USC Sunday.
“It’s LSU,” Ausberry said. “It’s where we are. We’re one of the top programs in the country. We’ve got three national championships here in the last 20 years (2003, ’07 and ’19 seasons), played in a fourth one (in the 2011 season). We have two Heisman Trophy winners (Joe Burrow in 2019 and Jayden Daniels last year), and we hadn’t had one in 50 years. That’s where we are as as a program at LSU. That’s expectations at LSU. You play the best, be the best and win the games. That’s just what it is.”
And even if you don’t win, your team still improves by playing the upper level competition, says coach Brian Kelly, who is 0-for-3 in season openers. He is also not for softer fare.
“We’re going to be a better football team because of what happened,” he said. “It would’ve been better if we won the game. Our margin now is razor thin.”
But not as thin as it was the last two years as the 12-team College Football Playoff dawns this December.
“We’re developing a team, and that was important,” Kelly said. “We’re going to be better going into week two. We know a lot more about our football team, and what we need to do better as coaches. I don’t necessarily think winning 73-0 gives you much benefit.”
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