LSU’s latest climb in the AP Poll didn’t come from a statement win so much as from surviving a wild college football weekend in better shape than plenty of teams around them.
The Tigers moved up four spots to No. 18 in Sunday afternoon’s Top 25 release, landing just ahead of Texas and Florida. They now sit as the sixth-highest ranked SEC team, with Alabama and Tennessee still ahead of them.
LSU took care of business against Mississippi State, and that was enough in a week when chaos did the rest of the work. Half of the top 10 lost, several other teams stumbled, and the Tigers were able to cash in on the fallout.
It wasn’t the kind of win that was going to send their profile soaring, especially with Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell out, but simply getting through the weekend cleanly gave LSU the bump it needed.
The bigger picture hasn’t changed much: the season is still alive, but there’s no margin left. One more loss would be damaging, even if this weekend made the home games against Alabama and Texas look a little more manageable than they did before. Manageable, though, is not the same as easy.
There were positives on both sides of the ball in what amounted to a confidence-building weekend.
Sam Leavitt turned in his first game without a turnover. After last week’s meltdown against Kentucky, that was a welcome reset. He wasn’t operating behind a spotless offensive line, either, but he dealt with some unexpected pressure off the left side and kept the ball moving.
That decision-making is going to define the rest of LSU’s season. The injuries have mattered, but the Tigers still have enough talent to stay in the fight. Trey’Dez Green and Whit Weeks are still expected back this year, and LSU just needs to stay afloat until then.
Defensively, Blake Baker’s zone scheme has been exposed a few times in losses, but the unit remains dangerous. The pass rush is still elite, and the secondary has playmakers who can change a game. If the right adjustments show up, that side of the ball can carry LSU even if the offense doesn’t always hold up its end.
The next checkpoint comes quickly. LSU has one more week before the bye, and that break should give the team a chance to reset.
First, though, there’s Auburn waiting next weekend. The Tigers are still unranked, but they arrive with momentum after beating then-No.
1 Georgia.
In Other News...
LSU Heads To Auburn With Two More Starter Questions
LSUs injury picture got a little murkier coming out of the Mississippi State game, and now the Tigers are heading into Auburn with two more starter questions hanging over the week. Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris both went down in the contest, and both figures are likely to land on the injury report as LSU starts sorting out who will be available for a road trip that already figures to test the depth chart.
Umanmielens issue is an upper body injury believed to be head-related, which could put him into concussion protocol, while Harris left with a foot injury and was seen in a boot afterward. Brian Kelly didnt offer any medical updates, though he did indicate Harris is expected to be fine, and LSU is prepared to lean on backups if either player cant go against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Lost A Key Piece In Will Wades First Season
LSU has settled one eligibility fight before the season even tips, and the result leaves Will Wades first roster with a notable hole. Guard RJ Luis Jr. will not be cleared by the SEC to play for the Tigers after the league determined he violated conference rules tied to signing a professional contract, ending the programs battle over his status and shifting the focus to getting ready for the year ahead.
There is at least one brighter note in Baton Rouge, though, because forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible for the season. Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his decision to attend college came before recent NCAA rule changes, allowing LSU to keep him in the mix as it tries to move past the Luis situation and sort out its rotation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Auburn Just Got More Complicated At Linebacker
LSUs trip to Auburn took a hit when linebacker Whit Weeks suffered a fractured right leg and is expected to miss the upcoming game. Weeks has been a key part of the Tigers defensive plans, so his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
Auburn is dealing with its own linebacker shakeup after Xaiver Atkins was dismissed from the team ahead of the game, following an earlier suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Atkins has said he plans to enter the transfer portal, while Auburn coach Alex Golesh has not revealed what led to the discipline, leaving both sides with major questions in the middle of a conference matchup that was already shaping up to be tricky enough. [Read more 🡒]