SEC Week 1: New coaches, quarterbacks and a familiar LSU-Clemson matchup

Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:

Game of the week

Clemson at No. 11 LSU, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

No. 11 LSU hosts Clemson in a rematch of last year’s season opener, but plenty has changed since LSU’s 17-10 victory in what was a top-10 matchup at the time. Both teams are looking to get off on the right foot after failing to live up to expectations in 2025. LSU fired Brian Kelly after a 5-3 start and eventually hired Lane Kiffin during Ole Miss’s playoff run. Clemson held on to long-tenured coach Dabo Swinney, who had his worst campaign since 2010, finishing 7-6.

While Kiffin brought in a slew of transfers, Swinney is returning 53% of last year’s production. Both teams have new quarterbacks: Top transfer portal prospect Sam Leavitt will take over LSU’s offense. Clemson named veteran Christopher Vizzina the Week 1 starter.

The undercard

No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 24 Louisville, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

In the sole ranked matchup of the week, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 24 Louisville go head-to-head in Nashville. It's a chance for both teams to make an early statement. Ole Miss is a 6.5-point favorite after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, but much has changed for the Rebels, who lost Kiffin and plenty of transfers. Ole Miss did retain two of its most important pieces, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and flashy running back Kewan Lacy, who accounted for over 6,000 yards last season.

Louisville turns to transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State. The Cardinals have three consecutive winning seasons under coach Jeff Brohm, including a 9-4 campaign last year. Louisville lost a lot of talent from that roster, but it retained a strong running back room and added Vanderbilt transfer Trey Richardson, who will be in familiar territory against an SEC defense.

Impact players

— Colin Simmons: Considered one of the most dominant edge rushers in college football last year, Simmons returns to anchor the Longhorns’ defense again in 2026. Simmons looks to build off a season with 43 tackles, an SEC-high 12 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles.

— Jaden Baugh: New Florida coach Jon Sumrall managed to retain one of the Gators' few assets last year in Baugh, the 6-foot-1 running back who accounted for 1,380 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns in 2025.

A look at the numbers

Tennessee had the conference’s highest-scoring offense last season, averaging 39.77 points per game… In-state foe Vanderbilt trailed closely behind with 38.46 points per game… Missouri led the conference with 2,968 rushing yards, averaging 222.8 per game, largely due to standout running back Ahmad Hardy… Ole Miss had a conference-high average of 313 passing yards per game… Alabama led the conference in passing touchdowns with 32… Oklahoma led the conference in sacks with 45… Georgia was crowned SEC champions for the 16th time after a 28-7 defeat of Alabama… Five SEC teams made the College Football Playoff.

New faces, new places

The SEC has six new coaches this year: Alex Golesh (Auburn), Ryan Silverfield (Arkansas), Jon Sumrall (Florida), Will Stein (Kentucky), Lane Kiffin (LSU) and Pete Golding (Ole Miss).

Coaches weren't the only ones on the move. Former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman joined the Longhorns' Arch Manning-led offense. Defensive stalwart Rasheem Biles transferred from Pitt to Texas. Kiffin snagged quarterback Sam Leavitt from the transfer portal and brought edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen with him from Oxford to Baton Rouge.

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