LSU football: Unusual, non-conference opponents in 2023

vs. Georgia State Panthers on November 18

LSU football will have another few weeks to play their final out-of-conference opponent. After that, the Tigers will face Georgia State on November 11th, one week before their regular season finale against Texas A&M.

Georgia State finished last season with a 4-8 record and lost their leading rusher and receiver this offseason. Although the Panthers had a down year in 2022, they are just a year removed from making three consecutive bowl game appearances.

Georgia State has steadily improved as a program since Sean Elliott took over as head coach in 2017. Ellitot has taken the Panthers to a bowl game in four of his first six seasons. Unfortunately, the transfer portal and NIL world has hit Georgia State hard. Nearly all of their leading players have transferred to Power 5 programs after career seasons playing in Atlanta.

The Panthers added some talent in the portal, including Clemson edge rusher Kevin Swint, Louisville defensive lineman Henry Bryant, South Carolina offensive tackle Colin Henrich, and a few other three-star prospects.

GSU returns their starting quarterback Darren Grainger from the past two seasons. Grainger threw for 2,443 yards and ran for 734 yards in 2022. If LSU’s front seven can get home and not let Grainger get outside the pocket, the Tigers should be reasonably OK in this matchup.

Brian Kelly and the Tigers hope to push to the College Football Playoff in 2023. They must win all of their out-of-conference games to do that. A slip-up is almost guaranteed to happen in SEC play, and heading into the final CFP rankings with two losses virtually ensures they miss out for the third consecutive season.

If they can steal a win in Orlando in week one, the LSU Tigers should be able to cruise through their out-of-conference schedule as long as they don’t overlook one of these teams.