Through Chaos and Controversy, Lane Kiffin Proves It's All Worth it for LSU

He is controversial and polarizing. To many, perhaps most, he's bordering on arrogant and profoundly unlikable.

He is a master manipulator and an expert at pushing the buttons you don't want pushed. Those sitting on barstools in Oxford, Mississippi would have plenty more to say—things that could never be printed here.

But as the dissections of Lane Kiffin have persisted ever since he boarded his private plane for Baton Rouge—leaving a program smackdab in the middle of a College Football Playoff run—one thing has never been debated.

The man can coach. He can recruit. He can build a program with ample resources.

For all the things that have and will be said about Kiffin—some very rightfully said, for that matter—the results and impact are undeniable.

All of it was on display on Saturday night in Death Valley, where lightning delayed Kiffin's debut but couldn't slow him down.

On paper, LSU and Clemson looked like a fascinating matchup between two teams that couldn't afford a loss. Then the game started.

LSU scored 51 points, Clemson scored 10.

LSU racked up 644 yards of offense, Clemson finished with 145 yards.

The game never actually felt that close.

While an early Sam Leavitt interception created a moment of tension that cascaded throughout Tiger Stadium, that error was soon erased. The LSU offense took control, Leavitt settled in, and Kiffin's new-look offensive and defensive lines took control of the game.

If we're being completely honest, Clemson didn't stand a chance.

For all that flash that comes with Kiffin and the teams he coaches, this was a game of effort and execution. This was a game won in the trenches, and LSU showcased plenty from the very start.

For as much chaos as Kiffin has generated over the past month, LSU's game plan was surgical.

The team was ready. Emotions were in check. Despite the many days spent talking about judges and courtrooms and the moral conundrum of NFL players returning to college football, none of it mattered.

When the game began, it was all business.

A roster that was largely overhauled with the help of many millions of dollars, more than four dozen players becoming a team in a matter of months, gelled together brilliantly. A staff largely made up of former Ole Miss coaches knew the ritual despite the dozens of new faces playing an actual football game together for the first time.

It shouldn't have looked this easy and put together. It shouldn't have looked this dominant. Despite all the money spent on this roster, even the most optimistic LSU couldn't have expected a first game this grand.

At halftime, with the score 31-3, Kiffin seemed disgusted when asked about his team's performance, specifically the first interception. Then, as the interview ended, a familiar character appeared.

"Imagine if we had pro players," he told ESPN's Holly Rowe.

Indeed, the architect of it all has spent the better part of the past few weeks exploring every possible edge to improve his roster further. While LSU ultimately decided not to add NFL players for the time being, Kiffin has become a national talking point and enemy No. 1 in the SEC.

In many respects, it's all part of the Kiffin playbook. Sure, he took a few years off in some respects, remaking his image through social media and a prolonged sense of calm that couldn't last.

This is who he is, for better or worse. It doesn't really matter where you stand on him at this point; it won't change him.

He doesn't just operate in the chaos; he thrives in it.

On Saturday night, we saw a glimpse of what Kiffin's influence and LSU's reach can look like as a marriage. The prospects are intoxicating.

The danger, of course, is looking too deeply at one result. Clemson's roster was depleted by NFL departures, and the current version looks like a middling ACC team at best. LSU's performance is one story to be told; Clemson's anemic showing is another.

At the very least, we must show restraint when evaluating what LSU's dominating win means long term.

Often, football games lie. Even ones like this.

Time will tell exactly what this means, especially with meaningful opponents just a few weeks away, but that shouldn't damper a wildly successful debut and the potential that accompanies it.

Saturday night's result didn't suddenly make Kiffin more likable or less polarizing. Those who wish to see him fail again will have plenty of chances soon enough.

But for a moment, there was calm. No judges or courtrooms or lawyers. No rumors of transfers or NIL wizardry.

Just football. Glorious, well played football.

The only chaos to be found came on the scoreboard, which was remarkably one-sided. It's the kind of chaos Baton Rouge could get used to.