LSU Football: 247Sports picks the game the Tigers can’t afford to lose in 2020
By Zach Ragan
LSU football’s 2020 season will look a bit different.
LSU football, like the rest of the SEC, will play ten games in 2020 and they’ll all be conference games.
The Tigers will play the eight conference games that were already on their schedule, plus added matchups against Missouri and Vanderbilt (the SEC did LSU a favor with the revised schedule).
Playing only ten games in 2020 means there will be little room for error. The regular season is already extremely important in college football. Two fewer games (plus no “cupcake games”) makes the regular season that more important.
Despite getting a couple of “easy” games against the SEC East tossed onto their schedule, LSU still has some tough matchups. And one of those matchups is a game that 247Sports thinks the Tigers “can’t afford to lose”.
The game 247Sports says LSU football can’t afford to lose
LSU won’t be overlooking Alabama, Auburn, or Florida. Those games are traditionally always tough for the Tigers. Ed Orgeron and his staff know exactly what they’re walking into with those games.
Similarly, LSU also knows what it’s walking into in matchups against Vanderbilt, Missouri, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and South Carolina. Those are all teams that don’t really stand a chance against the Tigers.
The game against Texas A&M, well that’s a different story.
LSU should beat the Aggies. They’re the better team. But Texas A&M has the talent to hang with the Tigers. And if Coach O’s squad doesn’t show up on the road against the Aggies, they could easily lose (and lose their shot at the playoff).
That’s why it’s 247Sports’ pick for the game LSU can’t afford to lose.
“The Tigers blasted the Aggies last year and while the teams should look different this time around, this is still a game LSU probably feels good about winning. The game also matters for recruiting since the schools are so close in proximity,” wrote 247Sports’ Bud Elliott.
“The loser of LSU-Texas A&M falls out of that top challenger spot in the SEC West behind Alabama and makes it that much tougher the rest of the way with a mark in the loss column,” added Brad Crawford from 247Sports.
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LSU’s games against Alabama, Auburn, and Florida could be considered “toss-up” games — they could truly go either way. The game against the Aggies, however, should go in the Tigers’ favor. That’s why they can’t let that one slip away.