LSU played poorly in losing its season opener to Florida State.

It had one of the worst defensive performances in school history when it lost to Ole Miss, 55-49, and fell to 3-2 at the end of September.

But the 19th-ranked Tigers are looking much better after finishing an undefeated October.

They routed Army 62-0 on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium to enter their open date with a 6-2 record, 3-1 in the SEC.

They don’t play again until the first Saturday in November, the traditional day of their annual showdown with Alabama, which is the only team in the SEC West without a conference loss. The game in Tuscaloosa will be LSU’s final road game.

The Tigers don’t control their fate in the West, but they are very much capable of repeating as division champions.

They feature one of the strongest Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Jayden Daniels, who directs one of the elite offenses in the country.

The defense has shown gradual improvement since the debacle at Ole Miss, and it provides enough balance for the team to continue to ascend in the AP poll.

But this team is still a work in progress.

The defense’s improvement for 1 half against Missouri, a whole game against a struggling Auburn offense and another full game against a significantly outmanned Army offense doesn’t mean it won’t have lapses against Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M (or even Georgia State).

And if it has poor stretches approaching those that it had against Florida State, Ole Miss and parts of the games against Arkansas and Missouri in any of the remaining games, that will leave Daniels and the offense with a small margin for error.

LSU is good enough to return to the SEC Championship Game.

But it will be an underdog against Alabama, and it’s shaky enough to lose multiple times down the stretch if it doesn’t continue to improve each week.

After a 6-2 start, here’s where LSU will finish the 2023 season.

Week 9: at Alabama

The Skinny: LSU took control of the SEC West race last season when it beat the Tide, 32-31, in overtime at Tiger Stadium. The lead changed hands 6 times in the 2nd half, and Daniels’ 25-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion pass to Mason Taylor overcame the Tide’s touchdown on the 1st overtime possession.

A similar opportunity is available this season, though the Tigers can’t win the West unless someone knocks off Ole Miss for them. (We’re looking at you, Georgia.)

But that won’t matter unless LSU beats Bama in consecutive seasons for the 1st time since 2010-11.

The Tide defense looks like a Tide defense, but the offense is very much a work in progress.

Prediction: LSU 34, Alabama 26.

Week 10: vs. Florida

The Skinny: LSU won a shootout, 45-35, at The Swamp last season.

The winner of this matchup will take the lead in a series that currently is 33-33-3.

LSU has won each of the past 4 years and will be favored to make it 5 straight.

Anthony Richardson set the scoring pace for the Gators last season, but eventually, Daniels and the Tigers caught and passed them.

Florida has been one of the worst offenses in the SEC in turning yards into points, and it won’t be able to match LSU’s scoring pace.

Prediction: LSU 41, Florida 30

Week 11: vs. Georgia State

The Skinny: The Panthers will be making their 2nd trip to Louisiana in 4 weeks after visiting UL-Lafayette on Saturday night. They improved to 6-1 and 3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference after holding off the Ragin’ Cajuns, 20-17.

GSU is one of the better Sun Belt teams, and it will be more a formidable nonconference opponent than Army, or Grambling was back in Week 2.

But this is still a welcome break from the SEC grind that will conclude a week later.

This will be the 1st time LSU and Georgia State have played each other in football.

Prediction: LSU 40, Georgia State 17

Week 12: vs. Texas A&M

The Skinny: Last season, LSU was one of the bigger surprises in college football in a positive way, and A&M was the biggest surprises in a negative way.

When they met in the regular-season finale at College Station, the Tigers were No. 5 and preparing to play for the SEC championship. The Aggies and their preseason CFP hype had long since vanished, along with their hopes of even becoming bowl eligible.

But in this game, both teams looked more like they were projected to be before their seasons started.

A&M ended a 6-game SEC losing streak by beating LSU and ending its CFP hopes.

These teams have alternated wins for the past 6 seasons, including the Aggies’ epic 74-72, 7-overtime win in 2018 that led the NCAA to change the overtime rules to try to avoid games lasting that many extra periods.

Prediction: LSU 38, Texas A&M 27