re: If LSU wins the COIN TOSS?

Defer. For all the reasons listed above. It’s supposed to be an offensive game. Out offense being stopped on the first series would be more concerning than them moving the ball on our D. And offense requires more timing and synchronicity than defense. I’d rather have my defensive unit on the field when everyone is tight and the crowd is going nuts.You also get halftime to make adjustments to whatever they are doing on D before getting the ball to start the second half.

For the bajillionth time, please give me a link to anytime in the history of football, a coach has turned to an assistant late in the first half, and said "hot damn!!!!!!!!!!!!, we are kicking off to start the second half, gimme 5, you sexy mf."
You won't be able to provide the link, because it's never happened. And yet we have this same stupid rhymes with trucking question every.fLucking.game.

Defer, and get the ball first in the second half!!!

You want the first possession of the second half for many reasons. One is that the first possession of the game is usually a feel em out possession and all of your offense is not really warmed up and running at 100%. By halftime, you have had an opportunity to see what works and can adjust your approach as needed.

Another reason is that your approach with the first possession of the second half can be more focused on the response to whatever the score dictates at that time. If you are behind by a lot, you don't waste the possession trying to eat clock. If you have a big lead you take the eat clock approach into your plan. Basically, you know much more about what you need to do with the first possession of the second half than you do with the first possession of a game. Before a game starts you know what you WANT to do with your offense. By the first possession of the second half you know what you NEED to do with your offense. That is a big advantange that you would prefer to have rather than give it away to your opponent.

One more reason is that it gives you better options as to how to handle your last possession of the first half because you know you will be getting the ball to start the second half.

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You also get halftime to make adjustments to whatever they are doing on D before getting the ball to start the second half.

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but there's two sides to that argument - the opponent's defense also has halftime to make adjustments.

This entire argument is tiresome. It's really an equal thing. Some people want the ball to start the game, others want it to start the second half. THere's really no wrong answer.

I'd simply decide based on which is our strongest unit. If our O is strongest (like this year), I'd prefer to put them on the field immediately and take control from the get-go, and let Clemson play from behind.

Defer

Yeah, but you apparently don't understand that burrow and co will have a better idea of what they're looking at and looking for and have a better feel for the game in the 2nd half. Also, I like our defense coming out first against their offense when they really have no idea what to expect bc they haven't even played a snap yet. The atmosphere and butterflies are another thing you have to think about on the first drive. It's just better to defer, especially in a game of this magnitude.

"This entire argument is tiresome. It's really an equal thing"

This is not true. When the game starts, there is no score. You start out with what you want to do and end up doing only what you are able to do. There is wasted effort both on defense and on offense finding this out. By halftime, you KNOW what might work and you KNOW what the score is and thus you KNOW what best fits your chance to win the game. You need points to win a game. Your offense is where most of your points are generated. Let your opponent waste their use of their offense in the "find-em-out" phase of the game and save the use of your offense for the "we know what works and we know what needs to happen" phase of the game.

In an overtime game, the team having the ball last is at a big advantage over the team that has the ball first. They know exactly what they need to do to win the game. Same principle holds for a regular game.

Always defer!!!