National publication predicts LSU football’s record in 2022

LSU football has a losing record over the last two seasons.

That’s a sentence that no one in sports media has been able to write for over two decades.

The Tigers are 11-12 since winning the national championship in 2019. They went 6-7 this past season, including a loss to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl (which was only a loss because LSU had very little depth and no scholarship quarterback on the roster).

With Ed Orgeron out and Brian Kelly leading the charge, the expectation for the Tigers in 2022 will be a winning season at the minimum.

247Sports predicts LSU football’s record in 2022

247Sports this week predicted the record for each SEC team in 2022.

And while they don’t see LSU winning the SEC West next season, they at least see the Tigers making significant improvements.

247Sports has LSU going 9-3 in 2022, with losses to Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas A&M (Arkansas and Texas A&M games are on the road).

Here’s what they had to say about the Tigers:

"What are expectations for Brian Kelly in Year 1 at LSU? We can tell you what’s expected inside that program will be equal — if not higher — than predictions surrounding the Tigers from a national angle. The obvious barometer matchups against Alabama and Texas A&M stick out, but there are a couple 50-50 games on LSU’s schedule that could make the 2022 campaign go from good to great."

This feels pretty fair, though I’m not sure I completely agree with their prediction. At least not how they have the season playing out.

LSU beat Texas A&M this past season with a banged-up roster and a coach who was on his way out. I don’t think it’s fair to count that game as an automatic loss.

I also don’t see the Arkansas game being an automatic loss. The Tigers clearly have more talent than the Razorbacks. And that game is in November. By then, Kelly should have LSU rolling.

We’ll see how it plays out. But I think fans should feel optimistic about this upcoming season. I don’t see LSU crashing the College Football Playoff, but I think this season could be better than a lot of folks expect.