LSU is heading into its bye week with the season about to tighten up. Three of the Tigers’ last four games come against ranked opponents, and the next one on the list is Alabama - a matchup that will tell a lot about where this team really stands.
That means this stretch is about more than just one win. Lane Kiffin can strengthen his case with a victory over the Crimson Tide after the break, and Sam Leavitt has the same opportunity. Leavitt has been LSU’s best quarterback lately, but the Alabama game is a different kind of pressure test.
The early part of his season was defined by the ball going to the other team too often. Leavitt had eight interceptions in his first six games, and every big throw seemed to come with a mistake attached. That left plenty of questions about whether he could truly steer LSU where it wanted to go.
The last two games changed that tone. In LSU’s 31-0 win over Mississippi State, Leavitt threw four touchdown passes, had just seven incompletions and didn’t give the ball away once.
He backed that up against Auburn, piling up 387 passing yards with four total touchdowns and, again, no turnovers. The offense looks like it’s finally settling in at the right time.
"Well, Sam has done a really good job," Kiffin said on Sunday. "He took care of the ball really well and played good on the road. So, credit to Sam and the offense for going on the road and playing really clean football."
Even with LSU leading the SEC in total offense and defense, Kiffin is making turnover margin a point of emphasis during the bye week. The Tigers are still in the red in that category, and that is the kind of issue that can undo everything else if it doesn’t get fixed.
Alabama is built to punish mistakes. The Crimson Tide lead the SEC with 12 interceptions and have picked off a pass in every game this season. Their secondary has a knack for reading the quarterback and making him pay for a bad decision.
Kalen DeBoer’s team has shown some vulnerability in recent weeks, but LSU still cannot afford to play loose with the football. One interception from Leavitt could swing the game in a hurry.
Leavitt has already earned trust with what he’s done against Mississippi State and Auburn. Now the bar gets higher. The question is whether he can keep that clean, efficient version of himself on the field against Alabama - and push LSU toward the College Football Playoff - or whether the old turnover issues come roaring back at the worst possible time.
In Other News...
LSU Awaits Huge Recruiting Test As Tension Builds Around Will Wade
The next major recruiting swing for LSU basketball arrives Thursday, when five-star 2027 guard Reese Alston is expected to make his college decision. The Tigers are in the mix alongside Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee and Wichita State, giving LSU a real chance to land one of the most coveted young guards in the country and add another high-end name to its future backcourt plans.
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
The bye week gives LSU a little breathing room before Alabama comes to Baton Rouge on November 7, and the early read from the oddsmakers says the Tigers have earned some respect. Vegas has LSU favored by 3.5 points with a total of 52.5, which reflects how competitive this matchup is expected to be and how much this game could hinge on which version of LSU shows up after a week off.
Health, though, remains the lingering question. LSU has spent much of the season managing injuries, and while some players are making their way back, others are still uncertain for the Alabama game. For a team heading into one of the most important weeks on the schedule, that mix of improvement and uncertainty may end up mattering as much as the line on the board. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Playoff Hope Now Comes Down To A Brutal SEC Debate
The playoff math around LSU is already getting weird in the kind of way that tends to happen when the SEC starts beating itself up. FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt floated a scenario in which the Tigers could still reach the 2026 College Football Playoff even with three losses, comparing the seasons volatility to 2007 and pointing to a path where November changes everything. In his view, LSU would handle Alabama and Tennessee, while Kentucky would stumble twice, leaving the Tigers positioned to slide into the No. 11 seed.
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 🡒]