LSU head coach Brian Kelly used his appearance at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Monday to set an unusually specific target for the 2025 season: defeating Clemson in the Aug. 30 opener. The Tigers have dropped five consecutive season openers, including all three since Kelly arrived, a trend the coach called "unacceptable." Kelly enters his fourth season in Baton Rouge with a 29–11 record but no Southeastern Conference titles or College Football Playoff berths—an absence that contrasts with the early-tenure championships won by predecessors Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. “Our goal is to win the national championship,” linebacker Whit Weeks said, echoing the program’s broader expectations. The coach said LSU’s roster, led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and edge rusher Harold Perkins Jr., is built to contend, and he expressed confidence that transfer-reinforced offensive and defensive lines can correct last season’s weaknesses. Kelly acknowledged that anything short of a playoff appearance would intensify scrutiny but insisted the team’s renewed focus on starting 1-0 will set the tone for a championship run.