The LSU Tigers enter the 2025 seasons with some lofty expectations. They brought back Garrett Nussmeier and signed the best transfer portal class in the country this winter, and it feels like it's a do or die season for Brian Kelly and the Tigers.

The Tigers are fully expected to make the College Football Playoffs, which means they'll likely have to win at least 10 regular season games, 11 if they want to leave no doubt. This is a tough schedule, so it's going to be incredibly difficult, but they have the talent on the roster to get it done.

Here are the five toughest games on LSU's 2025 schedule.

In my opinion, LSU's season opener is the toughest game they'll play all year. Clemson is likely going to be a top-five team in the preseason rankings and LSU has to travel to a tough environment for this game. I'm sure Brian Kelly was wishing they were hosting this game, but they'll have to wait for 2026 to host Clemson in week 1.

Clemson returns their QB1, Cade Klubnik. He's been the Tigers' starter for the past two seasons and had a very strong junior season where he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Much like LSU, they've surrouned their veteran QB with weapons on both sides of the ball, which is why they're going to be one of the favorites to win it all this year.

If LSU can escape this game with a win, they should feel really good about the rest of the season.

I know there are a lot of people who are praying that Kalen DeBoer runs the Alabama program into the ground, and even though they didn't have the best season in 2024, I think they're going to be a very good team in 2025.

We don't know who Alabama's starting QB will be, but DeBoer told Paul Finebaum the other day that if the season started right now, they'd start Ty Simpson. He has two elite receivers - Ryan Williams and Isiah Horton - to throw the ball to and a strong offensive line in front of him. On the defensive side of the ball, their linebacker and defensive back rooms are stacked, but there's some intrigue over how well their defensive line will play.

If this game was in Tiger Stadium, I'd feel a bit better about it, but going to Tuscaloosa is going to be a tough task.

Ole Miss lost a lot of production on offense, specifically at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, but I have faith that Lane Kiffin is going to have a good offense, which is why they're third on this list.

Austin Simmons is expected to start at quarterback for the Rebels. The former four-star made a few appearances last season and looked pretty good, throwing for 282 yards and two touchdowns. They've reloaded at receiver in the transfer portal with guys like Caleb Odom, De'Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace IV, and they also have former LSU RB Logan Diggs set to start in the backfield.

Defensively, they had one of the best lines in the country, but lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft. However, they were intetional about reloading there as well, grabbing guys like Da'Shawn Womack and Princewill Umanmielen.

If Simmons is as good as they hope, this team can be really dangerous. I think there are tougher opponents on the schedule, but with this game being played in Oxford, it gets the nod for the third spot.

I was tempted to put this game above the Ole Miss game because I think Florida has a chance to be pretty good this year, but since it's at home, I'm putting it at four.

A lot of Florida's season rests on the shoulders of DJ Lagway. In his freshman season, he completed 60% of his passes for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns, but threw nine picks. He was also a threat with his legs before a hamstring injury prevented him from doing too much rushing late in the season.

If Lagway can take a step in year two, this offense is going to be really dangerous with a good offensive line, a strong running back duo and a pair of talented freshmen receivers in Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson.

The fifth and final game on our list is LSU's home matchup against Texas A&M. The Aggies always get a lot of preseason hype and don't always live up to it, but I think it's warranted in year two under Mike Elko.

Getting Marcel Reed back was big for the Aggies. Their redshirt sophomore quarterback stepped in a few times for them last season and threw for 1,864 yards, 15 touchdowns and six picks while rushing for another 547 yards and seven touchdowns. LSU fans will unfortunately remember when he entered the game when LSU was leading and torched them with his legs, rushing for three scores in the Aggies' comeback win. They also return one of the best running backs in the SEC in Le'Veon Moss. Out wide, they nabbed one of the best receivers in the transfer portal, Kevin Concepcion, and also got former Mississippi State wideout, Mario Craver.

There is some concern defensively after they lost three of their best defensive linemen to the NFL Draft, but they did their best to replace them through the portal, so we'll have to see how that pans out.

Brian Kelly should be very happy this game is in Death Valley, because the last thing they need is to head to College Station in late October and lose a game they shouldn't have lost with their playoff hopes alive and well.