LSU has the weekend off, but the Tigers still have plenty riding on what happens elsewhere.
After eight straight weeks of grind, Lane Kiffin’s Tigers finally get a bye before a huge Week 9 matchup with Alabama. LSU sits at 6-2, and the rest of the country can still shape how realistic the playoff path looks once November arrives.
The cleanest route is simple: win out. If LSU finishes 10-2, the Tigers have a strong shot at the SEC championship game and would be in position to host a first-round playoff game. Win the SEC, and a first-round bye would likely be in play.
If LSU slips again and lands at 9-3, the margin gets much thinner. That’s where the scoreboard-watching starts to matter, and this weekend offers LSU fans a long list of games to keep an eye on.
The biggest one on the list is Auburn against Ole Miss. LSU needs Auburn to spring the upset.
Ole Miss already owns the head-to-head win over LSU from Week 3, so if both teams end up 9-3, the Rebels would probably get the edge in the rankings. But a loss to Auburn would make Ole Miss’ climb to nine wins much tougher, especially with Georgia waiting next week.
Pete Golding’s group taking a Week 9 loss would hit the Rebels’ playoff hopes hard and help LSU in the process.
Of course, Ole Miss is a heavy favorite. Auburn was overmatched against LSU last week and now has to go on the road against one of the SEC’s better teams. Still, for Tiger fans, the upset is the one to pull for.
LSU also wants the Big 12 to get messy, starting with Arizona State beating BYU. BYU took its first loss last week, falling at UCF, and another defeat would make the Cougars’ at-large case much shakier.
That would open more room for SEC and Big Ten teams. Arizona State, though, is a long shot here, and BYU is a sizable favorite.
The same logic applies to Cincinnati upsetting Utah, which would further dent the Big 12’s at-large picture.
Georgia over Florida would also give LSU a small boost. Florida is still in the playoff conversation at 6-2, and the Gators already have notable wins over Ole Miss and Texas.
If Florida keeps its loss total at three or fewer, its résumé could stack up well against a 9-3 LSU team. Georgia handing Florida another loss would make that road tougher, so LSU should be pulling for the Bulldogs.
Another result that would help LSU is Oregon beating Northwestern. Northwestern has only one loss and remains alive in the CFP race.
The Wildcats’ schedule is still demanding, but a win over Oregon would keep their at-large hopes alive even if they later lose to Ohio State. If Northwestern falls on Saturday, its path gets a lot rougher without a major finishing kick.
Virginia over Wake Forest would also help the SEC picture. Wake Forest is 6-1 and still in the at-large mix, but a loss to UVA would ding the Deacons’ résumé and benefit teams from the SEC and Big Ten hunting for playoff spots.
There’s one more game that could matter for LSU indirectly: Clemson against Florida State. LSU’s 51-10 win over Clemson in Week 1 looks even better if the Tigers from the ACC can stack some late wins. A Clemson push would improve LSU’s strength of schedule.
And if LSU fans want the full wishlist, it also includes Nevada over UCLA and Navy over Notre Dame, though those upsets are far less likely and not really the kind worth counting on.
For now, though, the message is clear: LSU’s playoff path mostly depends on what happens in Baton Rouge and beyond. If the Tigers run the table and finish 10-2, the help probably won’t matter. If they don’t, this bye week scoreboard watch suddenly becomes a whole lot more important.
In Other News...
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LSU Fans Hate What Happened To This Alabama Showdown
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It also gives the matchup a little extra weight beyond the usual stakes. This will be the final annual meeting before the SECs revised scheduling rotation interrupts the series, and LSU and Alabama will not be back in Baton Rouge together until at least 2030. For a fan base that expected one more true primetime version of this game, the television slot landed like a letdown. [Read more 🡒]