ESPN’s Football Power Index has the SEC crowding the College Football Playoff picture, with eight league teams carrying better than a 15% shot at making the field. That’s three more than the next conference on the list, the Big 12.
Still, not every contender in that group inspires the same kind of confidence. Peter Burns of SEC Network sees LSU as the team with the biggest punch if everything clicks, even though the Tigers sit fifth among SEC teams in CFP odds at 44.3%.
“When [they] don’t shoot [themselves] in the foot… and [they] don’t make bad decisions… they are the most dangerous team in college football,” Burns said. “I’m not saying they’re the best, but I think that their A-game surpasses anybody else’s A-game in this conference and maybe the sport.”
Chris Doering backed that view, while also pointing out why LSU can be so hard to trust over the full stretch.
“I would agree… that they have the highest ceiling. I think of the teams that are competitors to get in the College Football Playoff, they have the lowest floor,” Doering said. “They do have the tendence to have self-inflicted errors that cost them ball games.”
The road ahead gives LSU a chance to make a real statement, with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee still on the schedule. At the same time, those games also leave the Tigers exposed to falling out of the playoff race altogether.
The next big one comes after LSU’s Halloween bye, when Alabama visits Baton Rouge on Nov. 7.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Just Stirred Up Alabama LSU Kickoff Drama
Lane Kiffin had plenty to say when the Alabama-LSU kickoff time landed in the afternoon instead of the night slot that has often defined that rivalry. His reaction centered on the surprise of seeing the game moved away from its usual prime-time atmosphere, and he pointed to the backdrop of LSUs ongoing legal tensions with the SEC as one possible explanation.
The reality, though, is a little less dramatic on paper, since ESPN is the network that sets kickoff times rather than the league itself. There is also a broadcast wrinkle at play, with the matchup steered away from direct competition with the high-profile Miami-Notre Dame game on NBC, which at least helps explain why this one will unfold earlier than Alabama and LSU fans might have expected. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Playoff Push Now Rests On These Overlooked Difference-Makers
With Alabama heading into a critical game against LSU, the focus is understandably on the College Football Playoff picture, but the Crimson Tides path over the final month may come down to the players who are not always first in the spotlight. The defense needs dependable work from the cornerbacks lining up opposite Zabien Brown, and the front seven has to keep getting pressure from Yhonzae Pierre if Alabama is going to stay in control of games like this one. On offense, the Tide also need a steadier push from the depth pieces and developing talent that can help smooth out the inevitable rough spots in November.
Daniel Hill has become part of that conversation in the backfield, Racin Delgattys role up front matters more as the pressure rises, and Keelon Russell remains one of the names to watch as Alabama tries to keep its offense on schedule. These are the kinds of overlooked difference-makers that can shape how far a team goes when the stakes tighten, and with LSU next on the list, Alabama does not have much room for passengers. The playoff case is still there, but it may rest on whether the Tide keep getting meaningful production from the supporting cast. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into LSU Week With One Encouraging Trend Under DeBoer
Eight straight games have left Alabama in the kind of midseason grind that tests depth as much as talent, and the bye week arrives with a few health concerns still hanging over the roster. The good news for the Crimson Tide is that captain Ryan Coleman-Williams is trending toward playing in the next game, giving Alabama at least one encouraging sign as it tries to reset before the stretch run.
There is also reason for confidence in how Kalen DeBoers teams have handled this kind of pause. Alabama has won all four games coming out of a bye under DeBoer, and those victories came by comfortable margins, a useful backdrop with LSU next on the schedule in a matchup that figures to carry real College Football Playoff weight. For a team trying to get back to full strength and keep its postseason path clear, the timing of the break could not be much better. [Read more 🡒]