After an exciting offseason, the LSU Football team heads into the 2025 College Football season with hopes of making the Playoff. Brian Kelly and his staff embraced the transfer portal, going all in to build a roster capable of helping the Tigers to get over the hump. Heading into year 4 of the Brian Kelly era, the Tigers are facing the pressure to finally return to the point where they're competing for National Championships.
Given how much the Tigers have poured into this roster and how much Brian Kelly is being paid, this is truly a College Football Playoff or bust season for the Tigers. If the LSU Football team is going to live up to its Playoff potential, it'll come down to winning three massive games.
Week 1 - LSU at Clemson
If Brian Kelly is going to do anything in his fourth season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers, it starts with winning a season opener. Brian Kelly is 0-3 in openers with two losses to Florida State and one loss to the USC Trojans, but LSU’s streak dates back to Ed Orgeron who lost his two last season openers to Mississippi State and UCLA. The LSU fan base is sick of starting their season off on a bad note and a fourth straight season opening loss for Brian. Kelly would only make the chatter around him not being the coach for the job louder.
The hard part for Brian Kelly and LSU is the fact that they open their season against a national championship front runner in the Clemson Tigers. While LSU hopes that its elite group of transfers will gel and make this team a national championship contender, asking them to go on the road to Clemson is a difficult ask.
The Tigers will be playing almost an entirely new secondary and in their first game they’ll need to guard one of the best WR trios in the Country. LSU also replaces 4 of 5 starters on the offensive line and the new group will play their first game against a defensive line that has 4 potential first round picks.
If LSU is going to make the College Football Playoff, Brian Kelly and his staff are going to need to get the monkey off their back in season openers. The Tigers have a gauntlet in SEC play and losing a Non-Conference Game to start the season will only make the tightrope they'll have to work harder.
Week 6 -South Carolina at LSU
Last season, the South Carolina Vs LSU game was one of the best of the season, and it left a sour taste in the mouths of the Gamecocks fanbase as several questionable calls determined the game. This season, both teams will have a Heisman front runner under center as Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers return, which will make this an incredible matchup.
If LSU has had one Achilles heel the past several seasons, it has been stopping a dual-threat quarterback. Jalen Milroe has embarrassed the LSU Tigers the past two seasons rushing for 340 yards with 8 rushing touchdowns. Texas A&M couldn't get anything going vs LSU until they inserted Marcel Reed into the game and he gashed the Tigers rushing for three touchdowns.
Shane Beamer has to look at the film LSU has put on tape and think he can deploy LaNorris Sellers just like Jalen Milroe and Marcel Reed. This will be a different LSU defense, but at the end of the day, they'll need to prove they can play differently and stop the run.
The Tigers and the Gamecocks enter the season in a similar spot as both teams have clear flaws and holes to fill but, they could find their way into the College Football Playoff. Whichever team comes out on top in this matchup will have a great shot at making the Playoff while the loser could end up in serious trouble.
Week 9 - LSU at Alabama
The Crimson Tide has dominated LSU as of late, winning the last two matchups thanks to Jalen Milroe's rushing ability. LSU's biggest nightmare is off to the NFL, giving the LSU Tigers a chance to face a different Alabama team. While projected starter Ty Simpson has shown solid rushing ability, he's nowhere near the dynamic threat that Jalen Milroe has been.
Last season, the Crimson Tide embarrassed LSU in Baton Rouge, and the Tigers will have to respond. By the time Week 9 rolls around, with the Tigers' schedule, they could be at the point where they may not be able to lose another game, which could make this a fascinating game.