The College Football Playoff is sticking with 12 teams for the 2026 season, and while that might feel like a missed opportunity for further expansion, it still leaves plenty of room for chaos-and opportunity. For LSU, the goal is clear: get back to the mountaintop. The Tigers haven’t sniffed the CFP since their dominant national title run in 2019, but with Lane Kiffin now leading the charge in Baton Rouge, expectations are already sky-high.
LSU fans have reason to be optimistic. After the Brian Kelly era ended with more questions than answers, Kiffin arrives with a reputation for offensive fireworks and a knack for navigating the transfer portal like few others. And the sportsbooks are buying in-FanDuel has LSU’s win total set at 9.5, and the Tigers own the sixth-best odds to win it all according to DraftKings.
Still, not everyone is sold. ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently released his early projection for the 2026 CFP bracket, and LSU was notably absent. That would mark a seventh straight season without a playoff appearance for the Tigers-a tough pill to swallow for a program that’s loaded up for a run.
Connelly’s projected 12-team field includes Indiana, Georgia, Texas Tech, Notre Dame, USC, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Hawai’i. He has Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, and Texas advancing out of the first round, with Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Georgia reaching the semifinals. In the end, Notre Dame is his pick to take down Georgia and claim the national title.
Now, projections are just that-projections. But it’s hard to ignore the talent LSU has assembled.
Kiffin has already brought in 39 players through the portal, a haul that includes impact names like quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Jayce Brown, and pass rushers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross. Leavitt, in particular, is generating early Heisman buzz, and the defensive duo of Umanmielen and Ross gives new defensive coordinator Blake Baker plenty to work with off the edge.
Kiffin didn’t just reload through the portal-he retained key pieces, too. Tight end Trey'Dez Green, running backs Caden Durham and Harlem Berry, and linebacker Whit Weeks are all back in the fold. He also held on to a pair of 5-star prospects in Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson, bolstering both sides of the ball with elite high school talent.
The road to the playoff won’t be a smooth one. LSU’s 2026 schedule is packed with landmines, including a high-profile opener against Clemson on September 5, a road trip to Ole Miss on September 19, and home matchups against Texas A&M (September 26), Alabama (November 7), and Texas (November 14). That’s a gauntlet, no doubt-but it’s also the kind of schedule that can vault a team into the playoff conversation if they take care of business.
Kiffin has never shied away from the spotlight, and now he steps into one of the most passionate environments in college football with a roster that’s built to compete right away. The CFP may not be expanding just yet, but LSU doesn’t need more spots-they just need to earn one. And with the pieces in place, 2026 could be the year the Tigers roar back into the national picture.