Sunday was a night to forget for LSU and its head coach, Brian Kelly, as the Tigers fell to Southern California 27-20 in their opener in Las Vegas.
In the postgame news conference, Kelly became heated and angrily slammed his fist into the table.
"I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach … it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game."
Brian Kelly says he's "angry" with his team after the loss to USC. pic.twitter.com/vloYGyKDh2
— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2024
LSU’s defense struggled, allowing 447 yards, while their high-powered offense couldn’t overcome a revamped USC defense led by a new coordinator. Despite the setback, the Tigers’ goal of reaching the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff remains within reach, even with a challenging schedule ahead.
In their next four games, LSU is expected to be heavily favored against FCS Nicholls (Sept. 7), at South Carolina (Sept. 14), vs. UCLA (Sept. 21), and South Alabama (Sept. 28). The real test begins with seven SEC matchups, including four at home, which will ultimately decide LSU’s postseason fate.
The first of these SEC games is against Ole Miss (Oct. 12), a team with its own playoff ambitions, following a bye week. If LSU wins their next four games as anticipated, the home game against the Rebels could define their season.
With Alabama (Nov. 9) and Oklahoma (Nov. 30) scheduled later in Baton Rouge, a loss to Ole Miss could severely jeopardize the Tigers’ playoff chances. If LSU falls to Ole Miss, they would need to go unbeaten against Alabama, Vanderbilt (Nov. 23), Oklahoma, and on the road against Arkansas (Oct. 19), Texas A&M (Oct. 26), and Florida (Nov. 16)—a daunting task, even for the most optimistic Tigers fan.
Over the past five seasons, LSU has been 11-11 on the road against SEC teams. Their schedule is among the toughest in the country, with ESPN ranking it as the 21st most challenging.
For LSU to make the playoffs, head coach Brian Kelly will need more from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who performed well with 29-for-38 and 304 yards passing on Sunday, but not well enough to secure a win. “USC’s Miller Moss outplayed our quarterback,” Kelly admitted to the media.
The road to the playoffs is tough for LSU, but with the talent on this team, it’s still possible. If they do make it, Kelly will have earned every bit of his $9.5 million salary for the year (h/t Front Office Sports).
