CBS Sports’ latest College Football Playoff projection still has LSU in the 12-team picture, even after the Tigers’ Saturday loss to Ole Miss.
The updated bracket, released after Week 3 of the 2026 season, slots LSU in at No. 11 and pairs the Tigers with No. 6 Notre Dame in a first-round matchup.
The winner of that game would move on to face No. 3 Miami in the quarterfinals.
At the top of the projection, Texas is No. 1 at 3-0 and listed as the SEC champion, followed by Ohio State at No. 2, Miami at No. 3 and Ole Miss at No.
- Georgia checks in at No. 5, then Notre Dame, Indiana, Texas Tech as the projected Big 12 champion, Alabama, BYU, LSU and Boise State.
LSU’s placement comes after a close defeat in Oxford in Lane Kiffin’s emotional return to his former home. CBS Sports noted that the biggest question coming out of the game, especially with top tight end Trey’Dez Green injured, is whether Sam Leavitt is good enough to carry the team to the playoff.
Leavitt, according to the projection update, “looked skittish at times against a ferocious Rebels defensive line, rushing throws and looking to move out of the pocket quickly.” CBS Sports added that he’ll need to be better this weekend in what it called an increasingly important home game against Texas A&M.
The first-round byes in the projection go to Texas, Ohio State, Miami and Ole Miss.
The full first-round matchups are Boise State at Georgia, LSU at Notre Dame, BYU at Indiana and Alabama at Texas Tech.
In Other News...
LSU's Offense Just Raised A Bigger Sam Leavitt Concern
LSUs offense took a needed step forward on the ground against Ole Miss, piling up 172 rushing yards and getting a strong day from Dilin Jones, who ran for 106 of them. Even with that improvement, the passing game still left plenty to sort through, and the overall balance of the offense did not fully erase the concerns that have hovered around Sam Leavitt since the start of the stretch.
Leavitt finished 16 of 27 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while adding 63 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Lane Kiffin pointed to missed chances through the air, said some of the issues were tied to Leavitt missing practice, and stressed that the offense has to protect better and execute cleaner moving forward, which makes the next step for the passing game an important one for LSU. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Turns LSU Loss Into Bigger SEC Scheduling Frustration
Lane Kiffin spent part of his first SEC teleconference back in the LSU spotlight talking less about the loss itself and more about the setting around it. After Ole Miss beat LSU in Oxford in Week 3, Kiffin pointed to the fact that the game was played there for the second straight year, framing it as more than just an inconvenience for the Tigers and more like a scheduling issue with real competitive weight.
For LSU, the complaint lands in a familiar place because Oxford has long been one of the leagues tougher road environments, and Kiffin noted the home-field edge and crowd noise as factors that hurt his team. The bigger frustration now is not just what happened in the game, but how the setup kept LSU in the same uncomfortable spot twice in a row, leaving the scheduling conversation hanging over an otherwise straightforward result. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Gets A Telling Warning From Mike Elko Before SEC Showdown
With LSU heading into another SEC test, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko offered a useful scouting lens on what his defense expects to see when the Tigers line up across from them. Elko pointed to LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt as a competitive, physical presence, the kind of player who can shape a game by staying tough through contact and keeping plays alive.
Elko also touched on how little direct exposure he has had to Lane Kiffins offense, even while making clear he respects what Kiffin has built over the years. For LSU, that combination matters because it frames this matchup as more than a simple talent check. It is also a chess match against a coach who likes what he sees from the Tigers quarterback and knows enough about Kiffin to understand how much discipline this game could demand. [Read more 🡒]