LSU schedule looks very manageable after Ole Miss and Alabama's losses

When LSU entered the season, looking at the schedule you would have said that the games against Alabama and Ole Miss were by far the toughest games followed by the matchups with Oklahoma and USC. Given that we're judging teams before seeing them play in the preseason things have started to shift as these teams play their games.

Last weekend, Ole Miss fell to Kentucky and it showed that Lane Kiffin's team was clearly flawed. The Rebels weren't able to score on the massive chunk plays like we saw against the inferior opponents they played. This weekend they looked like a better team dismantling South Carolina but, they may be entering the game against LSU banged up.

Star edge rusher Princely Umanmielen missed the game with an injury while a few players left the game with injuries. We'll have to wait and see who shows up on Lane Kiffin's injury report this week but, the Rebels will certainly be banged up as they just came off of two tough SEC games with no bye week.

Then everyone anointed Alabama last weekend for beating Georgia without ever questioning the Tide for allowing Georgia to roar back to take a lead after leading by four possesions.

This weekend, the Alabama defense showed the exact issues that plagued them in the second half of the Georgia game allowing Vanderbilt to move the football with ease marching down the field every time they got the football. The Tide has struggled to find the answer at right tackle and it showed its issues as Elijah Pritchett got beaten badly late in the game leading to a strip sack.

When you look at this Alabama team they're clearly not as strong as they've been in the past on the defensive line under Nick Saban. The Tide were constantly moving backwards anytime the Commodores decided to run the ball. Another area where Alabama can beat exposed is at cornerback as the Tide are starting a blend of transfers and freshmen.

The Tigers need one win over Alabama or Ole Miss

When you look at the remainder of LSU's schedule they'll need to beat either Alabama or Ole Miss to be a playoff team. The Tigers have two tough games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma but, those teams have both shown some major flaws. After losing to USC, the playoff hopes looked bleak for LSU but, they now put themselves right back into the thick of things.

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