LSU’s spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll took a hit after Saturday night’s loss to Alabama, and the Tigers are sitting at their lowest ranking of the season.
Following the defeat, LSU dropped seven places to No. 22 in the latest poll. The Tigers are 6-3 in Lane Kiffin’s first year, and the Alabama loss marked their third setback of the season.
At the top, there’s a new No. 1.
Georgia moved back into the first spot after its emphatic win over Ole Miss and Miami’s loss. The Hurricanes slid to No. 6 after falling at Notre Dame.
The rest of the top five features Utah at No. 2, Notre Dame at No.
3, UCLA at No. 4 and Indiana at No. 5.
LSU’s path from here doesn’t get any easier. Texas, the Tigers’ next opponent, checked in at No. 8 after beating Missouri, while Tennessee - also still on LSU’s schedule - is ranked No.
- With two top-10 teams still ahead, LSU is staring at a brutal finish.
The College Football Playoff remains a long shot for LSU after the latest loss, though the Tigers still have a slim outside chance if they can win out and take down both Texas and Tennessee.
Here’s the full US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 10:
- Georgia Bulldogs 8-1
- Utah Utes 9-0
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-1
- UCLA Bruins 9-0
- Indiana Hoosiers 8-1
- Miami (FL) Hurricanes 8-1
- Alabama Crimson Tide 7-2
- Texas Longhorns 7-2
- Tennessee Volunteers 7-2
- Texas Tech Red Raiders 8-1
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons 8-1
- BYU Cougars 7-2
- Kentucky Wildcats 7-2
- USC Trojans 7-2
- Iowa Hawkeyes 7-2
- Houston Cougars 7-2
- Ole Miss Rebels 6-3
- Boise State Broncos 8-1
- Oregon Ducks 6-3
- Ohio State Buckeyes 6-3
- Arizona Wildcats 7-2
- LSU Tigers 6-3
- SMU Mustangs 7-2
- South Carolina Gamecocks 6-3
- New Mexico Lobos 8-1
In Other News...
LSUs Alabama Loss Exposed One Offensive Problem Fans Cant Ignore
LSUs loss to Alabama did more than sting in the standings. It also came with a harsh grading snapshot from Pro Football Focus, which handed the Tigers their lowest offensive and defensive marks since earlier defeats this season. For a team still trying to find consistency on that side of the ball, the numbers reinforced what the eye test suggested on a difficult night.
Among the individual evaluations, Jackson Harris came away with LSUs top offensive grade, while Braelin Moore drew one of the lowest marks for pass blocking. Those kinds of splits matter because they point to where the Tigers were getting solid work and where the protection issues kept showing up. For LSU, the bigger concern is not just the result itself, but how clearly the grading exposed the same offensive problem fans have been watching all season. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Playoff Hopes Took A Brutal Hit For One Frustrating Reason
LSUs playoff path took a major blow in Tuscaloosa, where the Tigers left with a 31-13 loss to Alabama despite moving the ball well for long stretches. The numbers on the stat sheet were not the problem so much as what happened when LSU got close to the goal line. The Tigers piled up more than 450 yards of offense and controlled possession, but drives kept dying in the red zone, and missed field goals plus turnovers turned promising possessions into empty ones.
Alabama made LSU pay for every mistake, with quarterback Keelon Russell delivering a sharp performance by completing 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. LSUs offense also had to deal with steady pressure and a rushing attack that never really took hold, which made the red-zone failures even more costly. For a team trying to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, it was the kind of frustrating loss that lingers because the production was there, but the finishing touch was not. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Suffered Another Alabama Gut Punch At Home
LSU spent much of the night doing enough to stay in the game on paper, but not enough where it mattered most, and Alabama left Tiger Stadium with another familiar result in a place that has become increasingly unfriendly to the Tigers. The Crimson Tide won 31-13, extending a run that has seen them take seven of their last eight trips to Baton Rouge, even though LSU actually outgained Alabama in total yards.
The frustration for LSU came from missed chances that piled up as the game went on, including failed fourth-down tries and a missed field goal that kept points off the board when the Tigers needed them most. Afterward, Lane Kiffin said the loss has to be put behind them, but for LSU the bigger issue is harder to ignore: against Alabama, the margin keeps getting decided by execution, not effort. [Read more 🡒]