The 2019 LSU Tigers Football schedule has shaped up to be one of the most difficult in the country, but in some ways a bit more manageable than the 2018 schedule.
The Tigers current Strength of Schedule rated by ESPN is 10th overall, with a Football Power Index rating of 21.8, good for fourth overall behind Georgia, Alabama and Clemson. ESPN projects 9.5 wins and 2.7 losses and gives LSU only a 1.7% chance to go undefeated.
Vs. Georgia Southern, Aug. 31
The Tigers season opener will be a warm-up for their week 2 match up in Austin against the Texas Longhorns, but it won’t be a walk in the park.
Georgia Southern is one of the few remaining teams in college football that employs the triple option offense, which will be difficult for the Tigers to prepare for as they haven’t played a triple option team since 2008 when they played Georgia Tech.
LSU players have seen the difficulties a triple option team presents, and LSU coach Ed Orgeron called scout team quarterback junior Jontre Kirklin the team’s most valuable player leading up to the game against the Eagles.
“I get tired of chasing him around at practice everyday,” junior linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said of Kirklin. “This is a game of patience, you have to be gap sound and assignment sound.”
The Tigers may struggle early on, but don’t expect this one to be close for very long.
Score Prediction: LSU 38, Georgia Southern 7
At Texas, Sept. 7
This game should be an indicator of just how good a season LSU can have as they’ll face a top 10 team in Texas who are heading into their second season under coach Tom Herman, who LSU pursued very hard before hiring Orgeron.
The toughest challenge the Tigers face in this game will be the crowd. LSU will be playing in a very hostile environment at Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. The Longhorns are returning junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who played very well in 2018 despite missing some time due to injury. 
The Longhorns’ weakness will be on defense, where they’ll be replacing nine starters; the entire front seven and both cornerbacks. If the LSU offense can take advantage of the young Texas defense, this one could be similar to the Tigers season-opening win against Miami in 2018.
Score Prediction: LSU 31, Texas 21
Vs. Northwestern State, Sept. 14
After a battle in Austin, the Tigers will return home to face in-state opponent Northwestern State. This will be similar to the Georgia Southern game except Northwestern State is an even lower caliber opponent than the Eagles. It could get ugly really quick.
Score Prediction: LSU 48, Northwestern State 3
At Vanderbilt, Sept. 21
LSU returns to the road, this time to Nashville, for a Southeastern Conference East game against Vanderbilt. The Tigers lucked up this year with their rotational east opponent being a Commodore team that finished 1-7 in SEC play in 2018 and were projected to finish last in the east at SEC Media Days.
Vanderbilt’s led by First-Team All-SEC wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, but who will be throwing him the ball is still a mystery. 
Score Prediction: LSU 41, Vanderbilt 7
Vs. Utah State, Oct. 5
The Tigers return to Tiger Stadium for another non-conference opponent, this time the Utah State Aggies, who finished their 2018 season 11-2 and 7-1 in conference play.
The Aggies have an exceptional talent at quarterback in Jordan Love, and a trio of studs on defense in linebacker David Woodward, cornerback DJ Williams and defensive lineman Tipa Galeai. 
That being said, Utah State play in the Mountain West conference, a far cry from the SEC, and LSU just simply have more talented players at each position on the field. However, as everyone saw in LSU’s loss to Troy, what conference a team plays in isn’t a true marker of talent. The Aggies may put up a fight early, and LSU may see itself in trouble if it looks ahead to the following game against Florida, but the Tigers should pull away in the end.
Score Prediction: LSU 31, Utah State 10
Vs. Florida, Oct. 12
Revenge is a dish best served cold, but LSU will be serving its up in the hot Louisiana sun as the Florida Gators come to town following a disappointing 27-19 loss to the Gators in Gainesville in 2018. The Tigers will have a raucous crowd behind them, and Florida looked anything but the No. 8 team in the nation in its season opener against Miami in which it made mistake after mistake, nearly giving Miami a victory. 
In the LSU-Florida rivalry, the team playing at home has a significant advantage, and luckily for the Tigers, they get that advantage this season. It will be close, but the home crowd pushes LSU over the edge.
Score Prediction: LSU 27, Florida 17
At Mississippi State, Oct. 19
Another game in which the home team has had a big advantage, this one could be the trap game of the season for the Tigers, as it’s on the road and a week before LSU faces a tough opponent in Auburn. While it’s hard to say the Bulldogs have any advantages over the Tigers, the cowbells will be in full force for this one. Mississippi State will be up for this game about as much as for the Egg Bowl.
But, the Bulldogs lost senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, along with defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons. Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead brought in Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens to take the reins at quarterback, and the chemistry they built at Penn St. should transfer over to this season. While Stevens may provide a spark at quarterback, the Bulldogs defense won’t be able to stop the LSU spread attack.
Score Prediction: LSU 30, Mississippi St. 10
Vs. Auburn, Oct. 26
LSU narrowly avoided a misstep early in the 2018 season thanks to kicker Cole Tracy’s heroics, but this seasons matchup will be a whole lot different from last season’s.
Auburn will start true freshman quarterback Bo Nix, and he’ll play his first game in Tiger Stadium in front of 102,321 screaming LSU fans. Not an easy task for any quarterback, let alone a freshman. It will also be Auburn’s third game in a row on the road, something college football teams aren’t accustomed to doing, nonetheless having to travel to Baton Rouge.
This will certainly be one of the better crowds for Tiger Stadium in 2019, and LSU should put on a good performance for the home crowd.
Score Prediction: LSU 31, Auburn 20
At Alabama, Nov. 9
Up to this point, barring any major surprises, both LSU and Alabama should be 8-0 heading into this behemoth of a game. It’s no secret that the Crimson Tide have had LSU’s number since the 2011 National Championship game that most Tiger fans like to forget about, and last season’s 29-0 beat-down in Death Valley certainly didn’t provide any hope for this season.
On top of that, the game will be in Tuscaloosa, a place that the Crimson Tide rarely have lost under coach Nick Saban. The Tide also return Heisman-contending quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is expected to have a Heisman worthy season.
It’s hard to imagine LSU coming away with a victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. If the Tiger offense is truly what Orgeron believes it to be, this one should be a lot closer than last season, but the Tide will be too much at home.
Score Prediction: Alabama 23, LSU 17
At Ole Miss, Nov. 16
Win or lose, the Tigers will have played a knock-down drag-out bruiser of a game against Alabama, but they will be treated with a game against the Ole Miss Rebels, who were projected to finish sixth in the SEC West.
The only caveat for this game is that it’s in Oxford, but that shouldn’t stop LSU from taking out all of their anger following an Alabama loss, or a victory lap after beating the Crimson Tide. The Rebels haven’t been able to stop the LSU rushing attack in years, so expect a heavy dose of junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and company in a blowout.
Score Prediction: LSU 41, Ole Miss 13
Vs. Arkansas, Nov. 23
Nothing to see here, just another shellacking of the Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium. Arkansas coach Chad Morris will be better than last season, but it really won’t matter.
Score Prediction: LSU 35, Arkansas 10
Vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 30
The Tigers’ senior night will be one to remember, as LSU will get a chance to avenge the unbelievable 74-72 7-OT loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station last season. Second-year coach Jimbo Fisher exceeded expectations last season, and those expectations will be ratcheted up for 2019. 
This is probably the second-toughest game on the Tigers schedule, but thankfully for LSU, they get it at home in Tiger Stadium. The tensions will be very high after last season, so expect a very emotional Tiger team, one that is out for blood.
Score Prediction: LSU 24, Texas A&M 21