With LSU dropping to two losses, Tiger fans can start to forget about the College Football Playoffs.
After the loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers knew they would be challenged to win almost every remaining game. Now with the loss to a lower-ranked Vanderbilt squad, there aren’t many outcomes to the season where LSU can sneak into a playoff spot.
LSU dropped to No. 20 after the loss in Nashville and now have no other choice but to go undefeated through the remainder of the season. This challenge looks to be far out of reach, though, with LSU’s next two opponents being two of the hottest teams in the nation in Texas A&M and Alabama.
ESPN now only gives LSU a 14% chance to make the playoffs and a 0.3% chance to win the SEC, so what is even left for LSU to fight for this season?
First, LSU should still fight to win every remaining game to uphold its strong reputation in the SEC. A loss to an unranked Arkansas or a poor performance against Western Kentucky would just simply be embarrassing for a team that was once ranked in the top four this season.
The Tigers don’t want to fall into a slump of mediocrity like Clemson or Florida after an impactful loss and can still carry on positives into a bowl game. Some positive outcomes LSU could take out of this season are winning meaningful rivalry games and finishing with a better record than other Brian Kelly-coached teams in the past years.
LSU first has to host No. 3 A&M to bounce back from the loss to Vanderbilt and prove to doubters that LSU can play at the same level as the other top ranked SEC schools. This game is big for pride, but also if the Tigers lose, that would be the final nail in the coffin for playoff chances dropping to zero. Many people have predicted LSU to overcome the odds and win this contest at home, so this game is something that could really shake up playoff rankings.
LSU then has one of its most important games of the season against rival Alabama. Although LSU looks like heavy underdogs in the away contest versus Alabama, rivalry games like this can always get weird with possible upsets.
Depending on how the A&M game goes, this game could either be all or nothing for LSU, needing a win for a playoff spot, or it could be strictly for pride and not giving up a loss in the rivalry series.
Kelly also has yet to finish a season with fewer than three losses. Many fans have been mad with the new trend of four-loss seasons under Kelly, and with him re-entering the hotseat, finishing the season strong could impact his job security dramatically.
If LSU pulls off a huge upset in the coming weeks, it could finish the season off 10-3 and with a major upset win. An outcome like this would probably be enough to have the Tigers continue playing under Kelly and not have to look into replacements this offseason.
Along with his regular season record, Kelly has yet to lose a bowl game while in charge of LSU. With the disappointments of this year, finishing with at least a lower-scale trophy can make fans feel like the year was more successful than the record shows.
If LSU also keeps up this strong record, there’s a good chance they’ll find themselves in one of the top bowl games, which still have meaning when it comes to beating a top-ranked school.
Even with the recent struggles from LSU taking most playoff hopes away, the season hasn’t been completely lost and there is still a lot for LSU to achieve in the last four games of the season. Hopefully the Tigers can find some sparks with their last few games and get past the struggles of the past three weeks to finish the season off strong.
