Joel Klatt thinks the SEC is headed for a messy finish, and he sees LSU landing in the middle of it with a College Football Playoff berth.
On the latest edition of his show, the FOX Sports analyst pointed to a 2026 field that could feature several 9-3 teams from the SEC, with the No. 11 seed becoming the key battleground. Klatt named four schools he believes are in the mix: LSU, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee.
“Where are we at with the No. 11 seed? It is crazy… [we’ll] have a bunch of 9-3 teams in the SEC… I’m looking at four candidates… LSU, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee,” Klatt said. “I think one of those [schools] gets the last spot.”
Klatt’s read is that LSU will split its November stretch in a way that gives the Tigers the edge. He expects them to beat both Alabama and Tennessee, while also taking a loss to Texas earlier in the season. That scenario, in his view, leaves Kentucky as the team most likely to fall off the pace.
“LSU will have [lost to Texas and] beaten Alabama and Tennessee in November,” Klatt said. “I’ve got Kentucky with two losses in November.
So, I’ve got [LSU] arrow pointed straight up, [Kentucky] arrow pointed down. As we know, timing of losses makes an impact… LSU gets the No. 11 seed.”
The timing of those losses matters, though the committee also showed last season that head-to-head results can play a major role when teams are tightly bunched in the rankings. If Kentucky and LSU end up near each other, Kentucky’s win over LSU could be enough to push the Wildcats ahead.
Both LSU and Kentucky are on bye in Week 9.
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Reese Alstons recruitment, though, has carried an extra layer of intrigue because of the public comments from his father, former NBA guard Rafer Alston, about LSU coach Will Wade. With those tensions hanging over the process, the Tigers are waiting to see whether the appeal of the program outweighs the noise around it, and Thursday should provide a clear answer on just how strong LSUs position really is. [Read more 🡒]
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Joel Klatt Just Framed LSUs Real Playoff Pressure Point
Joel Klatts latest 12-team College Football Playoff projection offered a fairly clear picture of how crowded the SEC race could get, and it put LSU in the mix as one of four league teams in his bracket. He had Georgia winning the conference, Texas in as an at-large team, Ole Miss taking the SEC title game loss but still landing in the field, and LSU also sliding in as an at-large after a 9-3 finish.
What makes the projection especially interesting from Baton Rouge is who got left out. Even with Alabama and Kentucky showing strong playoff odds in ESPNs Football Power Index, Klatt omitted both from his field, which only sharpens the margin for error across the conference. For LSU, the message is pretty simple: a playoff path is there, but in a league this loaded, the Tigers cant afford many missteps if they want to stay inside the bracket conversation. [Read more 🡒]