LSU Faces Lawsuit and Possible Expulsion as College Football's Wild Opening Weekend Arrives

A Season Opener Like No Other

College football's 2026 season is officially underway, and it has arrived with courtroom drama, historic venues, and a coaching legend looking to prove himself. The week's most explosive storyline doesn't involve a Hail Mary or a last-second field goal — it involves lawyers, judges, and a head coach willing to push the boundaries of what's possible in the modern college game.

The SEC took an aggressive step this week by suing LSU, head coach Lane Kiffin, and others in an Alabama federal court — a move that arrived just as LSU was set to play a high-profile matchup against Clemson on Saturday night. The SEC claims in its suit that LSU "waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes to play football for LSU during the 2026-27 season, including players who had signed NFL contracts." Those players had previously been under contract with NFL teams including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A Courtroom Battle Before Kickoff

With less than 48 hours remaining until LSU's highly anticipated season opener against Clemson, attention centered on a Baton Rouge courtroom — where, on Thursday evening, a Louisiana judge ruled in favor of granting a preliminary injunction against the NCAA that allowed LSU to sign multiple players who had signed NFL contracts and participated in preseason. LSU was reportedly set to add defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Dae'Quan Wright after both played in NFL preseason.

One of the more interesting subplots is that two of the players LSU has added thus far previously played for Kiffin at Ole Miss. Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for LSU after last season, is no stranger to controversy — but this situation is unprecedented. Kiffin has defended the practice, noting it is in the best interest of the players and the team, while the SEC has promised punishment for any team fielding former professional players. Whether the Tigers ultimately suited up those players on Saturday remains a question that will shape the conference's authority for years to come.

Marquee Games Across Iconic Venues

The Ole Miss Rebels and University of Louisville Cardinals opened their 2026 college football seasons in the first-ever Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on Sunday, September 6, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CST in a nationally televised SEC-ACC showdown on ABC. It was the only game between two ranked opponents during the weekend — No. 9 Ole Miss against No. 24 Louisville. New Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding inherited an offense that ranked second nationally, racking up nearly 490 yards per game, with top playmakers returning in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy.

No. 4 Notre Dame took on the Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin — part of the Shamrock Series, meaning the Irish were considered the home team despite playing in the Badgers' home state. The Lambeau Field matchup was originally supposed to take place in 2020, but was scrapped due to the pandemic and rescheduled for 2026 — marking the first time Wisconsin played at Lambeau since beating LSU 16-14 there in 2016. Notre Dame entered the game coming off a stunning playoff snub in 2025, while Wisconsin would have loved to start the season with an upset victory over the Irish.

Belichick Starts Strong, and the Season Takes Shape

The season's opening act came on August 29, when new North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 232 yards and the Tar Heels opened coach Bill Belichick's second season with a 15-10 win over TCU on a rainy Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus Classic. The 74-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowls coaching the New England Patriots, had gone just 4-8 in his college debut with the Tar Heels last year — a season that began with a 48-14 home loss to TCU in prime time on Labor Day. The revenge win was a statement, however modest the scoreline.

What this opening weekend ultimately signals is that college football in 2026 is as chaotic and compelling as ever. The LSU situation, in particular, is far from resolved. This isn't the first time in 2026 that a power conference has sued a member school over the school's plan to play an ineligible player — in June, the Big 12 sued Texas Tech over the Red Raiders' intention to play quarterback Brendan Sorsby, whom the NCAA had disqualified for violating anti-gambling rules. The eligibility era is being rewritten in real time, and the courts, not the commissioners, may end up having the final say on who takes the field this fall.