There wasn't a college football team that got more attention in the offseason than the LSU Tigers. After Brian Kelly's firing mid-season, LSU's coaching search was centered around one man, and they got him when Lane Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss right before the College Football Playoff in a controversial decision.
On Monday, the LSU Tigers kicked off Spring practice, checking off another milestone in Lane Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge. When the season does officially kick off, Lane Kiffin will be tasked with overcoming a loaded schedule with 3 games that stand out as the most important in his first season leading the Tigers.
The 3 most important games in Lane Kiffin's LSU debut
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
Whenever Lane Kiffin matched up against Nick Saban it always seemed like he desperatley wanted to defeat his mentor. Now, Lane Kiffin is at a new program, but he'll need to beat the new man in charge of Alabama. Both teams will enter the season with some questions, but when the Alabama-LSU game arrives, Kiffin is going to need to show that he has what it takes to make this matchup a rivalry once again.
2. Clemson Tigers
While Brian Kelly's final season was miserable, he did finally snap LSU's dreaded streak of losing season openers with a road win over Clemson. Lane Kiffin now hosts Dabo Swinney in the season opener, and both teams will have a ton to prove. A win for LSU would instantly get the ball rolling for the Tigers while a loss would show that maybe making the Playoff isn't realistic in Year 1.
1. Ole Miss Rebels
The game that every fan including those who aren't a fan of either team is Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford after the chaos of his departure. The Ole Miss fans are going to make it one of the most hectic environments possible, and while Lane Kiffin may say it's just another game, deep down he's going to want to win badly. Both teams will enter the season with Playoff hopes, and with how tough LSU's schedule is going to be, getting a win could put LSU well on the path to the Playoff.