When LSU and Texas meet in Baton Rouge on November 14th, the spotlight will be blinding. Two SEC heavyweights, both under pressure to land at least a College Football Playoff berth, are set for a showdown that should have plenty of juice.
But these teams are arriving there from very different places. LSU is stepping into a new era under Lane Kiffin, and the transfer portal has already reshaped the roster around him. Texas, meanwhile, has continuity on its side with Steve Sarkisian entering his sixth season as head coach and Arch Manning beginning his second season as a starter.
That stability gives the Longhorns a clear edge in one area: depth.
Sarkisian did a strong job adding to the roster through the portal, and Texas will bring back 12 starters next season. In the SEC, only Georgia and Oklahoma have more at 14, while Tennessee has 13. In today’s college football landscape, that kind of return production matters.
LSU, by comparison, has seven returning starters. That doesn’t decide anything on its own, and the Tigers also brought in players who can help right away, including Sam Leavitt, Jordan Seaton, and Princewill Umanmielen. Still, Texas appears to have more proven depth, and that could become a real factor in November.
By then, injuries will have taken a toll somewhere. Every team deals with them, and both sides will be tested if this game lives up to the billing. Texas looks better equipped to absorb those hits because its roster already features established playmakers across the board, including Colin Simmons, Ryan Wingo, and Jelani McDonald.
LSU has playmakers too, and the matchup stacks up well on paper. If Kiffin’s group stays relatively healthy, it has the talent to beat anybody.
Even so, the Tigers will have the advantage of playing at home. With playoff stakes hanging over the game, that matters. But if LSU is dealing with a wave of injuries by then, the path to a win gets a lot steeper.
In Other News...
Paul Finebaum Just Summed Up How Bad Brian Kelly Got At LSU
Paul Finebaum did not exactly hide his feelings about Brian Kellys time at LSU, saying he is relieved to be done with the weekly Monday interviews that came with the job. For three straight college football seasons, those live segments were part of the routine, and Finebaum made it clear the experience was anything but enjoyable.
The backdrop, of course, is Kellys uneven run in Baton Rouge, which ended with a 34-14 record before LSU moved on last fall. Lane Kiffin now holds the job, and Finebaum has already suggested the new arrangement is a far more pleasant one, which says plenty about how low the bar had gotten by the end of Kellys tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Why LSU Fans Are Eyeing No 57 A Little Closer This Year
With LSUs season opener against Clemson still 57 days away, No. 57 has become one of those little roster details worth watching as camp approaches. The jersey is now on junior offensive tackle Ja'Kolby Jones, a JUCO transfer who adds depth to the offensive line and gives the Tigers another name to track as they sort out the pieces up front.
The number has carried a few different storylines over the years, from former LSU offensive lineman Carius Curne to Davon Godchaux, who is now entering his 10th NFL season with the New Orleans Saints. For Tigers fans, the interest in Jones is less about flash and more about what he can become in a room where every bit of line help matters, especially with the opener closing in and the depth chart still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Title Hopes May Come Down To One SEC Reality
LSU spent the offseason building the kind of roster that can survive the long grind of an SEC season, loading up at receiver, quarterback, running back and across a defense that already had plenty of pieces in place. The Tigers brought in transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt to steer the offense, added more help at the skill spots and fortified a defensive front and secondary that now look deeper and more versatile than they did a year ago.
For a program chasing championship-level consistency, the bigger question may not be whether LSU has enough headline talent. It is whether the Tigers have enough quality across the board to keep rolling when injuries, fatigue and the usual SEC attrition start to hit. Blake Bakers defense is expected to carry a major share of that burden, and the way LSU manages its depth in the coming months could end up telling the real story of how far this team can go. [Read more 🡒]