As Spring practices around the Country drew to a close, and the initial chaos of the Spring Transfer Portal window slows down, team's around the Country are starting to get a sense of where they stand for 2025. The LSU Football team enters the season with sky high expectations after Brian Kelly and his staff crushed the transfer portal landing the biggest and most talented transfer portal class of the Brian Kelly era.
While the additions are massive, the LSU Football team returns a very talented group that could've made a College Football Playoff push on its own. Garrett Nussmeier will be back under center with a loaded group of talent around him while the defense returns its cornerstone in Whit Weeks with an improved team around him.
The expectation for the LSU Tigers is that the team should make the College Football Playoff with a roster this talented. While LSU fans expect a college football playoff bid, some analysts are saying not so fast.
Andy Staples projects LSU will miss the College Football Playoff
On Monday, On3's Andy Staples released his Post-Spring Top 25 rankings revealing the LSU Football team as the 15th ranked team in the Country.
At the end of the Winter transfer portal cycle, LSU was ranked 15th by staples meaning LSU didn't move up or down the rankings following spring practices. The Tigers did see Tennessee fall out of the Top 25 after losing Nico Iamaleava while Texas Tech made a massive leap to 11th from outside of the Top 25..
While LSU is ranked 15th in the Country they'd technically be the 16th team when it comes to making the College Football Playoff as a Non-Power 4 Conference team makes the College Football Playoff. The difficult aspect for LSU is that the Tigers face Staples' 3rd ranked team in Week 1 as well as 7th ranked Alabama, 10th ranked Florida, 12th ranked South Carolina, and 19th ranked Ole Miss.
It's nearly impossible to project where College Football teams are going to finish before the season starts but, looking at how LSU fared last season it's hard to argue that the Tigers won't be better with this improved roster.
While Clemson is a tough week 1 opponent, LSU lost to USC last season and with an improved roster it'll be a toss up once again. LSU lost close games to Florida and Texas A&M but, both games were on the road and this season the Tigers get to face both in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers were crushed by Alabama but, the Crimson Tide won't have Jalen Milroe under center who played his best two games of his career against LSU.
Only time will tell how the LSU Football team fares this season but, anything aside from making the College Football Playoff would be a massive disappointment.