Rece Davis is looking at LSU and seeing a team built for the kind of late-season surge that can flip the whole playoff picture.
On the College GameDay Podcast this week, the ESPN host doubled down on his belief that the Tigers could be this season’s version of Miami - the kind of team nobody wants to face if it sneaks into the College Football Playoff.
“If you’re looking for this year’s Miami, a team that, if it gets in, can win the national championship, it’s LSU.”
Davis first floated the comparison last week on The Pat McAfee Show, where he said quarterback Sam Leavitt is “taking care of the football a little better than he was earlier.”
He was even more direct on the podcast, saying, “I think LSU’s found itself. And I think LSU is one of these teams that, as long as they don’t step on a rake someplace, if they get in the playoff, they’re really dangerous.”
That’s the bet with LSU right now: the record says 6-2, the schedule says trouble is still coming, and the résumé says there’s work left to do. The Tigers have outscored Mississippi State and Auburn by a combined 69-17 since a 35-34 overtime loss at Kentucky. Their other defeat came on the road as well, a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss in Kiffin’s return to Oxford.
Not everyone is buying the hype just yet. Dan Wetzel pushed back on the idea that LSU has earned much of anything so far.
“I am going to agree with Lane. No rat poison here,” Wetzel said.
“They haven’t done anything. They have not beaten a great team.”
Even so, Wetzel acknowledged the ceiling is real. “If LSU wins out, they’re going to make this playoff.”
Kiffin, meanwhile, made sure the outside noise didn’t seep into the building. Davis said Kiffin sent him video of the McAfee comments playing inside LSU’s football building with text over it that read: “Don’t listen to the rat poison.
You haven’t done crap.” Davis noted the message used a stronger word than “crap.”
The Tigers’ path gets serious immediately. No.
15 LSU hosts No. 9 Alabama on Saturday in a matchup of 6-2 teams, and Davis called it “as close to an elimination game as you’re going to get.”
He also said “the biggest thing they have to do first is beat Alabama at home, which has not been easy for LSU historically.”
After Alabama, LSU still has Texas at home before closing at Tennessee and Arkansas.
Kiffin isn’t pretending the challenge is small. “We’re going to have to play really well because I do think this is the most talented team when you take the 22,” Kiffin said Monday. “This is the most talented team that we’ve played so far.”
The first College Football Playoff rankings come out Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and then LSU gets the next big test Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
In Other News...
LSU Just Got A Stark Reminder About SEC Eligibility Rules
Missouri is dealing with an eligibility issue that doubles as a warning shot for the rest of the SEC. Guard CJ Gunn has been ruled ineligible by the conference after signing a professional contract and receiving payment to play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, a move that runs afoul of the leagues rule on college basketball players who turn pro after enrolling.
Coach Dennis Gates confirmed the ruling and said there is no appeal, leaving Missouri without a path to get Gunn back on the floor through conference channels. The timing also shuts the door on the G League draft, a reminder that these eligibility questions can quickly spill beyond one roster and into a much wider set of consequences for teams trying to navigate the modern college game. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Will Notice What Alabama Is Worried About In Death Valley
Keelon Russells development has become part of the conversation in Tuscaloosa at exactly the wrong time for Alabama, with a trip to Death Valley looming and Kalen DeBoer trying to keep his young quarterback on track. DeBoer has leaned into the idea that Russell has to keep learning from past experiences while staying composed once the game starts, a reminder that Alabama is still sorting through some of the same growing pains that tend to show up when the pressure rises.
For LSU fans, that is the kind of worry worth noting because it speaks to what Alabama thinks could swing a marquee SEC showdown. The Tigers get the Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and the buildup already suggests the visitors know they will need steadiness from Russell if they want to handle the noise, the stage and the challenge that comes with playing in Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Could Be Getting An Important Frontcourt Boost Sooner Than Expected
LSUs frontcourt could get a welcome boost sooner than expected, with Noa Morro now trending toward a return as early as next week. Kim Mulkey said the senior has been back on the floor in practice and taking part in pregame warm-ups, a notable step for a player who had surgery in early September to address a stress fracture.
Morro brings a veteran presence to the Tigers after a career that included professional experience in Spain and international play for Spanish national teams before arriving in Baton Rouge. For LSU, getting her back into the mix would add depth and experience inside at a time when every healthy body matters, and the next step will be seeing how quickly she can work back into game shape once she is cleared. [Read more 🡒]