LSU heads into the bye week at 3-2 in SEC play, and the path from here is simple: the Tigers likely have to run the table if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Their next four opponents are Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas, and with Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee all sitting in the playoff race with two SEC losses apiece, LSU can’t really afford another stumble.
Among LSU students, the confidence starts with the home slate. Freshman Aiden Anderson pointed to the advantage of playing Alabama and Texas in Death Valley.
“I really think that we can beat the rest of our opponents that we have, like Alabama and Texas, those are home games, so that’s really good for us with our advantage at home,” Anderson said.
For Anderson, the toughest test comes on the road against Tennessee.
“Our biggest obstacle is maybe the Tennessee game, since its an away game and that might bring some pressure,” Anderson said.
Sophomore Sophia Nunez sounded equally optimistic, saying the bye week comes at a good time if LSU can use it to keep building.
“I feel like we’re very, a very big momentum team, so I feel like if we keep building momentum, we’ll just keep getting better,” Nunez said.
She also singled out Tennessee as the game that worries her most, mentioning both the road setting and LSU’s coach’s history there.
“My only worry is like Tennessee, just because it is an away game and our coach does have history there, so we saw what happened last time we were in a situation like that,” Nunez said.
Freshman Patrick O’Brien shared the same feeling about the Tigers’ chances against Alabama and Texas at home.
“I think Texas and Alabama, those two big, big games there, but I really think we’re going to win those two, especially in Death Valley,”
Like the others, O’Brien sees the trip to Knoxville as the most difficult one left.
“I definitely think we can win them out,” O’Brien said. “Tennessee’s probably going to be the toughest game because it’s going to be in Neyland Stadium.”
LSU will get a week to rest before returning to action against Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Death Valley.
In Other News...
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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 🡒]
LSU Heads Into Alabama Week With One Big Edge And One Concern
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LSUs Playoff Hope Now Comes Down To A Brutal SEC Debate
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What makes the discussion even trickier is how much the selection process may end up rewarding timing as much as record. If LSUs losses come early and its best head-to-head results land late, the Tigers could be judged very differently than another team with the same number in the loss column. It is the sort of SEC debate that can feel absurd in September and absolutely central by the time the bracket is drawn. [Read more 🡒]