LSU Football: Early game-by-game predictions for Tigers in 2021

We already knew who LSU football will be playing in 2021, now we know when each of those games will take place.

The SEC released the 2021 schedule on Wednesday and it plays out fairly well for the Tigers.

LSU opens with a road game against UCLA (The Bruins haven’t been very good under Chip Kelly), before two “easy games” against McNeese State and Central Michigan. Those games should serve as a nice “tune-up” before SEC play starts.

The Tigers then play seven straight SEC games before taking on ULM on November 20. LSU finishes the season at home against Texas A&M (three straight home games to finish the season).

Here’s the whole schedule:

Sept. 4 — at UCLA
Sept. 11 — vs. McNeese State
Sept. 18 — vs. Central Michigan
Sept. 25 — at Mississippi State
Oct. 2 — vs. Auburn
Oct. 9 — at Kentucky
Oct. 16 — vs. Florida
Oct. 23 — at Ole Miss
Oct. 30 — Open
Nov. 6 — at Alabama
Nov. 13 — vs. Arkansas
Nov. 20 — vs. ULM
Nov. 27 — vs. Texas A&M

How will the season play out for LSU football?

September 4 — at UCLA: I don’t love that LSU is starting on the road, but this is a very winnable game. UCLA has struggled with Chip Kelly at the helm. I think the Tigers have more talent. And we know a healthy Myles Brennan can put up points. I’ll take LSU in this one (1-0)

September 11 — vs McNeese State: This is an automatic win for the Tigers. Any issues that arise during the UCLA game should get worked out during this matchup. (2-0)

September 18 — vs Central Michigan: Another automatic win for LSU, though this game will be slightly more challenging than the McNeese State game. (3-0)

September 25 — at Mississippi State: I just can’t see Ed Orgeron losing to Mike Leach two years in a row. The Bulldogs caught LSU off guard last year. I don’t think any of us realized what a disaster the defense would be under Bo Pelini. It appears that Coach O took his time with the defensive coordinator hire this time around, so I wouldn’t expect those same issues to resurface in 2021. LSU wins. (4-0)

October 2 — vs Auburn: This is a tough one. Auburn has a new coach in Bryan Harsin in 2021, so there are a lot of unknowns. I learn toward LSU winning this one, though. (5-0)

October 9 — at Kentucky: This is another very tough one. Kentucky has proven to be a good team under Mark Stoops. They aren’t the laughingstock of the SEC anymore. But it’s still hard for me to pick them over the Tigers. LSU wins. (6-0)

October 16 — vs Florida: I was quite surprised when LSU knocked off Flordia this past season. I think the Gators will be looking for some revenge in Baton Rouge. LSU can win this game, but I lean toward Florida walking out of Tiger Stadium with the W. (6-1)

October 23 — at Ole Miss: I think Ole Miss is going to be a thorn in the side of everyone in the SEC West with Lane Kiffin in charge. The Rebels are going to put up a lot of points, though I’m not sure they’ll be able to stop anyone defensively. In 2021, however, I’ll take Ole Miss. (6-2)

November 6 — at Alabama: I’m not ready to predict that LSU is going to beat Alabama. The Crimson Tide are in a class of their own. And while I like the Tigers’ talent in 2021, I still think Bama has the edge here. (6-3)

November 13 — vs Arkansas: The Razorbacks are definitely a much-improved team under Sam Pittman. But LSU has way more talent than Arkansas. The Razorbacks could make this one interesting, but the more talented team will ultimately prevail. (7-3)

November 20 — vs ULM: A nice late season automatic win here for LSU. They’ll need this game after grinding through seven straight SEC games. (8-3)

November 27 — vs Texas A&M: This is a complete toss-up game. It’s really the flip of a coin. I’m going to go with the Aggies, simply because I think Jimbo Fisher will be looking to make a statement. (8-4)

Finishing 8-4 after going 5-5 in 2020 wouldn’t be a bad season. I think the potential is there, however, for the Tigers to get to 10 wins if a couple of breaks go their way.