CBS Sports’ latest College Football Playoff projection keeps LSU just outside the 12-team bracket, even after the Tigers’ emphatic 35-6 win over Texas A&M on Saturday night.
The projection includes five SEC teams, but LSU is not among them. Texas is slotted as the No. 1 overall seed and the projected SEC champion, with Georgia at No.
4, Alabama at No. 7, Florida at No. 8 and Ole Miss at No.
LSU is 3-1, with its lone loss coming on the road against Ole Miss.
CBS Sports’ projected field starts with Texas at No. 1, followed by Ohio State at No. 2 as the projected Big Ten champion, Miami at No. 3 as the projected ACC champion and Georgia at No. 4.
Notre Dame is No. 5, Indiana No.
6, Alabama No. 7, Florida No.
8, Texas Tech No. 9 as the projected Big 12 champion, Iowa No. 10, Ole Miss No. 11 and Boise State No.
“Just missed the cut: LSU, BYU, Oregon, Utah and Mississippi State”
The first-round matchups would be played Dec. 18-19 at the higher seeds, with No. 12 Boise State at No.
5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Ole Miss at No.
6 Indiana, No. 10 Iowa at No.
7 Alabama and No. 9 Texas Tech at No.
8 Florida.
The quarterfinals are set for Dec. 30 in Glendale, Ariz., and Jan. 1 in Atlanta, Arlington, Texas, and Pasadena, Calif. In those projected games, No.
1 Texas would face the winner of No. 8 Florida and No.
9 Texas Tech, No. 2 Ohio State would meet the winner of No.
7 Alabama and No. 10 Iowa, No.
3 Miami would draw the winner of No. 6 Indiana and No.
11 Ole Miss, and No. 4 Georgia would play the winner of No.
5 Notre Dame and No. 12 Boise State.
The semifinal games are projected for Jan. 14 in Miami and Jan. 15 in New Orleans. Texas, Florida or Texas Tech would face Georgia, Notre Dame or Boise State on one side of the bracket, while Ohio State, Alabama or Iowa would meet Miami, Indiana or Ole Miss on the other.
In Other News...
LSUs Tricky Kentucky Trip Just Got A Lot More Real
LSUs first SEC road game of October now has a clear stage, with the Tigers set to visit Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 10. The matchup is slated for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff and will air nationally on ESPN, giving the game the kind of visibility that usually comes with a bigger October test in the league.
It also fits a familiar pattern for LSU early in 2026, since this will be the Tigers sixth straight night game to open the season and their earliest kickoff yet. For a team still settling into the rhythm of SEC play, a road trip at night against Kentucky adds another layer of difficulty, and it is the kind of setting that can say plenty about where LSU stands as the month begins. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Suddenly Has A Tougher Test Than McNeese
LSU heads into its matchup with McNeese carrying a different kind of challenge than the one on the schedule sheet. The Tigers have dealt with a run of key injuries, with linebacker Whit Weeks, Charles Ross II, safety Dashawn Spears, tight end Trey'Dez Green and quarterback Sam Leavitt all among the notable names on the list as the week has unfolded.
Even with LSU still stacking up strong defensive numbers nationally in yards allowed, run defense and sacks, the bigger question now is how the Tigers handle the disruption inside their own locker room. Lane Kiffin and McNeese coach Matt Viator both pointed to the same basic idea this week, saying the focus has to stay on their own teams, and for LSU that means navigating health concerns before anyone starts worrying about the opponent. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Could Soon Face A New Reality In Roster Building
College sports roster building may be headed toward a very different kind of reset, and LSU is among the programs watching closely. The Protect College Sports Act cleared the United States Senate by a 77-22 vote and now moves to the House, with the proposal designed to give the NCAA an antitrust exemption so it can enforce pay caps and other rules that would reshape how schools manage movement and eligibility.
For LSU, the most immediate implications could come in the transfer market, where the bill would limit athletes to one transfer without sitting out and establish a five-year competition window. Support from key senators and NCAA president Charlie Baker underscores how seriously college leaders are treating the push to bring some stability back to the sport, but the House still has to decide whether that framework becomes reality. [Read more 🡒]