LSU Football's season opener against USC is a Must win game for Brian Kelly

When it comes to any sport, the goal is that you win every game regardless of the sport. Every team can't be 2019 LSU and run the table but, at the end of the day that is the goal. The term "Must Win" gets thrown around too often as some games really aren't must win games for programs and coaches.

To open the season however, the game against the USC Trojans is a must win game for Brian Kelly and the LSU Football program. The Tigers open their season in Las Vegas taking on the 23rd ranked USC Trojans.

As Head Coach of the LSU Tigers, Brian Kelly is 0-2 losing twice to Florida State to kickoff the season. The LSU Football program's stretch is much worse losing every season opener since the 2019 team beat Georgia Southern to open the season.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams has started to ratchet up the expectations for these programs and LSU is a team that should finish inside the top 12 in most seasons going forward. If the LSU Football team is going to be a Playoff team in 2024, it starts with proving that improvements have been made and beating a ranked USC Football team.

If you lose to USC, the playoffs are a long shot as the Tigers face a daunting SEC schedule including ranked opponents in Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma where you'd realistically only be able to lose once to make the Playoffs.

It's all about being prepared in Week One

Game planning for a season opener isn't always easy especially with a team like USC that replaces it's defensive staff and quarterback but, the same can be said about LSU from USC's side. What the Tigers can't come out and do is look under conditioned and not prepared. This USC team has a ton of the same expectations and goals as LSU does, and Brian Kelly's team will need to prove they're up to par in Week One as a boarderline College Football Playoff team.

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