LSU’s first year under Lane Kiffin is already wobbling after the Tigers walked out of Kentucky with an overtime loss that pushed the season right to the edge.
The roster makeover was massive. LSU brought in a new regime and more than 50 new faces before the year began. But the results so far have left the Tigers staring at a familiar kind of trouble, with a brutal schedule still waiting and two losses already on the board.
What makes the situation so uneasy is how little margin for error remains. LSU still has six games left, and the questions hanging over the team are the same ones that keep showing up every week: can it win away from home, and can it stop giving up chunk plays?
The road issue has been there from the start. LSU has not won away from home this season. It lost at Ole Miss, where it was getting overwhelmed in the first half before a second-half push, and now it has dropped a second straight road game, this time in crushing fashion against Kentucky.
The path ahead is not all bad news. LSU has three road games left, and two of them - at Auburn and Arkansas - come against SEC teams that have struggled this year. The other trip is the tougher one, with Tennessee waiting in Knoxville.
The big-play problem may be even more damaging. Against Kentucky, LSU allowed 10 explosive plays for 245 yards. In this case, big plays were defined as runs of more than 10 yards and completions of 15 yards or more.
That has been a recurring issue. Against Texas A&M, LSU gave up eight big plays for 115 yards. Against Ole Miss, it surrendered 12 for 250 yards.
There is still a route to salvage the season, especially with two more top-10 opponents still ahead. But if LSU keeps bleeding explosive plays and keeps falling short on the road, this starts looking less like a rough patch and more like a collapse. One more loss could be the line between a playoff run in year one of the Kiffin era and a colossal failure of a season.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Blasts Officiating Logic After Kentuckys Controversial TD
Lane Kiffin spent part of the conversation after Kentuckys overtime loss focused less on the final score and more on the logic behind a touchdown that stirred plenty of debate. The play in question involved a push at the goal line, and Kiffin said the line judge told him it was not stopped because of the stakes attached to the moment, a rationale he clearly did not accept.
From LSUs perspective, the larger issue was consistency. Kiffins gripe was that rules should mean the same thing no matter when they come up, and he also pointed to other officiating calls and the communication around them as part of what left him frustrated during the game. The result only sharpened the feeling that the nights most important moments were not handled with much clarity. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Now Faces A Bigger Fight For Louisianas Top 2027 Receiver
The race for Louisianas top 2027 receiver just got a lot more complicated. Easton Royal, the five-star standout from Brother Martin High in New Orleans and the nations No. 1 wideout in his class, has moved his commitment from Texas to Florida, reshaping a recruitment that already had plenty of attention from LSU and other major programs.
Royal had been committed to Texas since November 2023, but LSU has stayed involved, including a visit back in May 2023, and now the Tigers are staring at a tougher in-state battle after his recent trip to Florida. With coach Jon Sumralls staff making a strong push, LSU still has time to work, but the path to keeping one of Louisianas best prospects close to home just got steeper. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Season Outlook Suddenly Hinges On One Unsettled Roster Issue
The early read on LSUs 2026-27 season is not a flattering one. The SEC preseason media poll has the Tigers pegged for 14th in the conference, and the preseason All-SEC teams came and went without an LSU player making the cut. That leaves a program trying to build momentum while also working through a roster that is still not fully settled.
LSU did beat McNeese State in an exhibition game, but the win came with only a limited number of players available. That is the larger issue hanging over the season outlook right now, because the Tigers are still waiting on multiple players to become eligible. Until that clears up, it is hard to know what LSUs actual ceiling looks like once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]