Lane Kiffin & LSU Face Critical Early-Season Crossroads

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Outspoken With Dan Sileo

Early Coaching Success Stands in Contrast to LSU’s Troubling Start

The early part of the college football season has featured some impressive coaching performances. Will Stein has Kentucky at 5-1 after beating LSU, while Bob Chesney and UCLA took down Oregon. Both coaches have done a tremendous job.

LSU, meanwhile, is difficult to figure out. Lane Kiffin received a significant contract and plenty of NIL money, but the Tigers are off to their worst start since 2023, when Coach O was there and the team went 4-2. Before the season, members of the “GameDay” crew, including Nick Saban, viewed LSU as a potential national championship contender.

Kiffin addressed some of the problems against Kentucky by pointing to poor execution. He cited a missed tackle on a punt return, a defender getting moved out of a gap on a long run and a lack of fundamentally sound football against a good team.

Those explanations are becoming tiresome. Instead of overexplaining each mistake, Kiffin needs to win important games. Questions remain about where and what he has won.

LSU’s upcoming schedule will not make matters easier. Mississippi State is a good football team, and Auburn will present another difficult matchup. The Tigers then face a demanding group of opponents that includes Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Alabama is still viewed as a top-five or top-six team. Texas remains difficult to assess, with concerns about Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian. Tennessee is also a very good team. LSU could easily suffer three more losses during that stretch.

A five-loss season would be unacceptable in Kiffin’s first year, especially at a reported salary of $14 million per year. He was brought to Baton Rouge to compete for national championships, not to finish in the middle of the SEC. Brian Kelly was decent, but Kiffin was hired to take the program further.

Some programs are satisfied with seven or eight wins and will pay a coach well for that level of consistency. At LSU, Texas, Alabama and Georgia, however, going 10-3 is not enough. Coaches at those programs are expected to compete for national titles.

Kiffin could be putting together one of the worst seasons Baton Rouge has seen in a long time. Whatever criticism Coach O received, he won a national championship, captured a conference title and beat Alabama.

LSU is now at a crossroads. Kiffin was given the money and the authority to build a national championship contender, and the results must begin matching those expectations.