After much speculation regarding potential College Football Playoff expansion, On3 reported on Friday that the CFP is expected to stay at 12 teams for the 2026 season. LSU hasn't qualified for the CFP since winning the national title in 2019, and Tiger fans are eager to compete for another National Championship with Lane Kiffin at the helm of the LSU Football program.
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After the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge ended in a major disappointment, Kiffin already has high expectations heading into his first season in Baton Rouge. LSU's win total is set at 9.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook, and the Tigers have the 6th-best odds to win the National Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook.
While the start of the 2026 season is still over 7 months away, College Football Playoff bracket projections have already started to roll out. Despite receiving plenty of love from oddsmakers, LSU is nowhere to be found in ESPN's 2026 CFP bracket.
ESPN has LSU missing the CFP for a 7th straight season in 2026
ESPN's Bill Connelly projected his CFP field for 2026, and he has the Tigers missing out on the action for a 7th straight season. Connelly's early projections include the following teams:
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Notre Dame
- USC
- Texas A&M
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Oregon
- Texas
- Oklahoma State
- Hawai'i
Connelly has Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, and Texas winning their First Round matchups, with Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas Tech and Georgia advancing to the semifinals. He then has Notre Dame defeating Georgia in the National Championship game.
Needless to say, Tiger fans aren't too thrilled with this projection. On paper, LSU is among the most talented rosters in all of college football, and Kiffin enters Year 1 with the Tigers well-positioned to make a CFP run in 2026. The Portal King has brought in 39 players through the portal (so far), including QB Sam Leavitt, WR Jayce Brown, EDGE Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE Jordan Ross, and LB TJ Dottery. Leavitt is among the Heisman favorites for next season, while Umanmielen and Ross give Blake Baker's defense a vaunted pass rush that has plenty of potential.
Kiffin also retained impact players such as TE Trey'Dez Green, RB Caden Durham, RB Harlem Berry, and LB Whit Weeks. He also held on to 5-star prospects Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson.
It won't be easy, as tough matchups vs Clemson (Sept. 5), at Ole Miss (Sept. 19), vs Texas A&M (Sept. 26), vs Alabama (Nov. 7), and vs Texas (Nov. 14) await for the fall. But Kiffin has the LSU roster in a great spot, and reaching the CFP is well within reach for 2026.