A week ago, LSU’s playoff picture looked bleak after the Tigers’ crushing 35-34 upset loss to Kentucky. Then the SEC turned chaotic, and suddenly the path doesn’t look nearly as steep.
Saturday reshuffled the league from top to bottom. Georgia, the then No. 1 team, went down 27-24 to an unranked Auburn squad on a game-winning field goal, and that result knocked the last undefeated SEC team off its perch.
Now no top team in the conference is unbeaten, four SEC programs are tied with one loss, and eight more are sitting with two losses. In that kind of traffic jam, every week starts to feel like a survival test.
Georgia’s loss mattered, but so did the ripple effect around it. The Bulldogs’ only ranked win before falling to Auburn came against Alabama in a one-score game, and Alabama’s own playoff case took another hit with a second straight loss, this time 26-10 to Tennessee. Missouri, Texas and Mississippi State also picked up losses that changed the board in a hurry.
For LSU, that means the Tigers’ earlier losses don’t look as damaging as they did a week ago. Before their 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State, the final four games on the schedule had already been looming like a brutal gauntlet, with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee waiting.
At the time, it looked like the kind of stretch that could bury a playoff bid. Now, with several of those contenders carrying multiple losses, the math feels different.
Ole Miss and Kentucky are both tied for the top of the SEC at 4-1, Alabama is in the same neighborhood despite losses to Georgia and Tennessee, and Texas has put itself in a difficult spot after back-to-back defeats to unranked Florida and Oklahoma. In a season where the third loss has long been the line that separates playoff teams from everybody else, that matters for LSU.
It also means the Tigers could see their stock rise if key players return from injury. With the way the conference has splintered, LSU could climb back up the rankings and put itself in position to crack the top 12 when playoff decisions arrive.
The catch is that the week’s chaos also sharpened a few individual matchups on LSU’s schedule. Auburn, which just knocked off Georgia, now looks far more dangerous than it did before the weekend. What once appeared to be a softer game has turned into a marquee SEC matchup, and Auburn’s two-loss profile means it should have plenty of confidence heading into the LSU game.
Tennessee now carries a similar edge. The Volunteers appear more dangerous with freshman Geoge Macintyre running the offense, and that makes them a tougher challenge for LSU’s struggling secondary.
The game is on the road, in a difficult environment for LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, and Tennessee also has just one ranked opponent left before facing LSU, Kentucky. That gives the matchup the feel of a possible playoff-deciding game if neither team stumbles again.
The SEC has spent the season eating itself alive, and that has changed LSU’s outlook. The Tigers still have to win, of course, but with Georgia, Alabama and Texas all taking damage, the road to 10-2 and a playoff berth looks a lot more realistic than it did seven days ago.
In Other News...
LSUs Dominant Win Came With One Performance Fans Will Notice
After LSUs 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State, the attention naturally drifted beyond the scoreline and into the individual performances that helped make it look so easy. Pro Football Focus grades gave a clearer picture of how the Tigers controlled the game, with quarterback Max Johnson drawing praise for a clean outing that included four touchdowns and no interceptions.
The defensive front also stood out in the grading, with Princewill Umanmielen and Ross turning in strong pass-rushing marks as LSU kept Mississippi State under constant pressure. On the other side of the ledger, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton had a rough day in pass protection, while Greens overall grade landed in the middle despite two missed tackles, a reminder that even in a dominant win there was still plenty for the Tigers to clean up. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Reignites A Tense SEC Debate LSU Fans Know Well
Lane Kiffin is back at the center of one of college footballs most familiar arguments, this time over the way field-stormings have changed in an era of phones, cameras and constant posting. He said the scene is not what it used to be, arguing that the modern version has become less safe and more complicated for everyone involved, while praising the SEC and some schools for trying to keep those moments under control.
For LSU fans, the subject hits close to home because the Tigers play in a league that has tried to make storming the field a costlier decision, including a $500,000 fine for schools whose fans rush the turf. Kiffins comments also come with an extra layer of irony, since he is separately locked in a legal dispute with the SEC over roster-eligibility rules for players who previously signed with NFL teams, keeping him in the middle of a conference debate on multiple fronts. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has A Troubling EJ Crowell Question
Alabama is now dealing with a potentially significant question around running back EJ Crowell after the latest round of injury news around college footballs top teams. For LSU fans, the bigger takeaway is the ripple effect across the league, because the Tigers are monitoring their own edge rusher situation as Princewill Umanmielen works through an injury that could cost him time as well.
Around the SEC, availability is suddenly becoming part of the conversation, and LSU is no exception. Umanmielens status adds another layer of uncertainty for a defense that wants to stay stocked at the edge, while Alabamas concerns with Crowell only deepen the sense that the early season picture could keep shifting if these injuries linger. [Read more 🡒]