It goes without saying that Tiger fans want Brian Kelly to improve on last year's 8-4 regular season record. Baton Rouge is hungry for an SEC title, a birth in the College Football Playoff, and a shot at the national title. In order for that to happen, the Tigers need to take advantage of one particular scheduling factor that bodes well for them.
There are no back-to-back road games for the Tigers during the regular season. It's the first time that LSU's schedule does not have consecutive regular season road contests since 2022. The Tigers split consecutive road matchups in each of the past two seasons, both of which came against SEC competition.
In total, the Tigers have seven home games and five road games. No neutral site games are on the regular season schedule either, a change from the previous three seasons.
LSU needs to take advantage of no back-to-back road games this season
In 2023, LSU split back-to-back road games against Ole Miss and Missouri. They lost at Ole Miss on Sept. 30 in a wild game that ended in heartbreak. Jayden Daniels accumulated 513 total yards and five total touchdowns, but the defense couldn't get stops. Daniels' final throw to the end zone on the last play of the game fell the turf, resulting in a crushing 55-49 loss. LSU would rebound with a 49-39 victory at Missouri the following Saturday on Oct. 7.
Last season, the Tigers played back-to-back road games in October, once again splitting the two contests. LSU defeated Arkansas 34-10 on Oct. 19 in Fayetteville. The Tigers then hit the road to face Texas A&M at Kyle Field, ultimately falling by a score of 38-23. That loss triggered a bad stretch of play for LSU, who faltered in three straight games. The three-game losing skid to Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida saw LSU's College Football Playoff hopes fall apart.
Around the SEC, plenty of other programs have to worry about back-to-back road games on their respective schedules this season. Most notably, Florida and Missouri have back-to-back road games on two separate occasions. Texas has consecutive road games in October. Oklahoma has back-to-back road tilts at Tennessee and Alabama in November. Texas A&M has three straight road games in conference play, which includes a visit to Tiger Stadium on Oct. 25.
LSU's 2025 schedule is among the nation's toughest. ESPN's college football power index ranks LSU's strength of schedule this season at No. 11 in the country. Some analysts even rank LSU's schedule as the sixth-toughest in the nation. But not having to worry about back-to-back road games is clutch, and is something LSU needs to be sure to take advantage of - especially when other top teams in the conference have to endure it.
LSU to win over 8.5 regular season games is among the most-bet win totals in the country, meaning college football fans are confident in the Tigers' ability to get the job done.