Kickoff time, TV designation revealed for FSU-LSU season opener

The 2023 season opener between LSU and Florida State is one of the most highly anticipated games on the college football schedule. Now, that matchup has a kickoff time and TV designation.

The Tigers and Seminoles will square off Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, LSU announced Tuesday. It’s a rematch of last week’s Week 0 thriller, which saw Florida State come out with the 24-23 victory at The Superdome in New Orleans.

This year’s rematch, which will be in Orlando, has plenty at stake.

Both LSU and Florida State are seen as potential College Football Playoff teams thanks to some key returners and transfer portal additions. The Tigers have Jayden Daniels back at quarterback and multiple big names, including Harold Perkins, back on defense. For the Seminoles, they return 87% of their production this year, according to ESPN, and were still one of the big winners in the portal. Leading the returners are quarterback Jordan Travis and EDGE Jared Verse.

In addition, Florida State was active in the portal, notably landing Fentrell Cypress — the No. 2-ranked transfer this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

The game between Florida State and LSU is a big one for multiple reasons, according to On3’s J.D. PicKell. Not only does it have CFP implications, but for the Tigers, it could help set up the rest of the season with the tough schedule ahead.

“LSU, they still have to go to Ole Miss, they have to go to Alabama, they have to deal with the rest of an SEC schedule. Should they end up in Atlanta again, they’ve gotta play somebody in the SEC title game,” PicKell said. “Like it is an absolute gauntlet for LSU the rest of the way. Dropping a game to Florida State does not set you up for success.”

Florida State is in a similar situation with the way the ACC could look this year. Capitalizing on a huge opportunity out of the gate is important for the new-look Seminoles, PicKell said.

“The same thing for Florida State. They have to go to Clemson. … But who knows what the rest of the ACC’s going to be, man. It’s college football. The best game in the entire world. It is so difficult to speak in absolutes with 18 year olds playing the game,” PicKell said. “We don’t know who’s going to show up week in and week out. We don’t know what the ACC’s going to be just yet.”