Can LSU football sneak into the AP Top 25 poll soon?

LSU football improved to 1-1 on the season last Saturday with its victory over Southern. The Tigers scored a program record 37 points in the first quarter against the Jaguars. If they hadn’t taken their foot off the gas, the Bayou Bengals could have easily gotten close to setting more school records. Overall, LSU’s 65-17 win has fans excited about what lies ahead.

Supporters of Brian Kelly’s team may want to slow their roll—at least for the time being. The Tigers looked excellent at the weekend, but it’s important to remember that they were playing an FCS school (all respect to Southern). LSU has the potential to be a Top 25 team this season; the Bayou Bengals aren’t there quite yet though. When can fans expect the Tigers to potentially sneak into the AP Top 25 poll this season?

Can LSU football sneak into the AP Top 25 poll with a win next weekend?

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that LSU’s loss to Florida State means that its rankings fate will be tied with the Seminoles until the Tigers get a few games into SEC play. Kelly’s team currently has just one win over an FCS team, which explains why it is not even receiving votes to crack into the Top 25. However, a team currently receiving votes is Florida State (42).

This is a great sign for LSU moving forward as its one-point loss during week one will be viewed in a more positive light. That may sound silly, but Texas staying at No. 21—despite a close loss to Alabama at home—sets a precedent. The voters have spoken, and they’ve told fans nationwide that there is such thing as a good loss in their eyes. If the Seminoles are able to get into the Top 25 soon, the Tigers’ opening weekend defeat will look a lot better on paper.

Another school getting love from writers at the moment is LSU’s next opponent, Mississippi State. The Bulldogs aren’t ranked just yet, but they are also receiving votes (43). Mike Leach’s team is red hot offensively at the moment; Mississippi State is currently averaging a whopping 44 points per game. The Bulldogs gotten off to an excellent 2-0 start with wins over Memphis and Arizona before they travel to Baton Rouge this weekend.

It became clear that while the voters respect Florida State and Mississippi State, they don’t believe either is one of the best teams in the country just yet. Therefore, even if everything plays out in the Tigers’ favor this weekend, there is still a great chance Kelly’s team is not ranked.

LSU fans need to cross their fingers going forward and hope that Mike Norvell’s squad continues to win. College football has already had a couple of calamitous weekends featuring upsets left and right. The most important thing for the Tigers to do going forward is win games, which begins at the weekend against the Bulldogs.

If they can manage to continue to put wins on their resume, they will eventually get some help from other teams. LSU needs to make its own luck going forward if it wants any chance of cracking the AP Top 25 poll this season.