Saturday marked the first slate of college football games this season, and college football fans were understandably pumped for the Week 1 action.
However, that excitement didn’t shield Lainey Wilson from criticism after a polarizing performance on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” The country music star opened the show by performing “Comin’ To Your City” with LSU’s marching band, and the college football world had plenty to say.
Lainey Wilson Takes Heat From College Football Fans
Wilson, a Louisiana native and the show’s first celebrity guest of the 2026 season, was criticized for the performance. College football fans watching the highly anticipated Week 1 opener were far from impressed.
“Why did anyone think this was a good idea?” one fan wrote on X.
Why did anyone think this was a good idea? https://t.co/HPzyRmiio1
— Clay Wells (@claybwells10) September 5, 2026
Another simply declared, “This is awful!” A separate viewer called the performance “horrific.”
“Oh this is terrible,” another added.
Oh this is terrible. https://t.co/8iJtGZTDos
— Alek (@abennett50_) September 5, 2026
Another took an especially brutal shot at the Grammy Award winner: “Lainey Wilson does NOT have a big enough voice to do that opening justice. She’s not even Carrie Underwood lite; she’s the cheap knock off.”
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Wilson, however, had been excited about the opportunity before stepping onto the “College GameDay” stage. During her appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, Wilson said, “First of all, I’m just fired up to go back home. I cannot tell you the amount of fun that I have had at LSU football games.
“We are planning on just letting it all hang out because that’s what Louisiana folks like to do.”
This was the 500th road show for “College GameDay,” and Wilson’s performance did provide plenty of attention… just not the kind she wanted.
“College GameDay” was in Baton Rouge for the much-hyped LSU-Clemson game that can’t come soon enough for college football fans. It’s the headline game for Week 1, with multiple storylines, including LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin getting sued on Thursday.
LSU enters Week 1 with plenty of attention, and the Tigers will try to survive Clemson in a heavyweight primetime clash. Playing No. 11 LSU on the road gives Dabo Swinney’s team a brutal opening assignment.
“This is going to be a check-every-box type of environment,” Swinney said. “It’s a night game. It’s on the road. It’s one of the best teams in the country.”
Clemson will turn to Christopher Vizzina at quarterback after he won the starting job following a battle with freshman Tait Reynolds.
LSU counters with Sam Leavitt, who arrives after throwing for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns at Arizona State last season. He ranked No. 62 in PFN’s CFB QB Impact metric with a grade of 79.7.
