LSU would make the College Football Playoff if the season ended today.
That’s essentially what the 12-person selection committee revealed Tuesday night in this year’s first CFP poll, which ranked LSU at No. 2.
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At 7-0, the Tigers are one of 11 unbeaten FBS teams and the only SEC team with a perfect record. Since an escape against Mississippi State — the Bulldogs missed what would’ve been a game-winning field goal as time expired — LSU has played just a single game decided by one possession, a 35-28 win against presumed SEC East champion Florida.
The toughest part of LSU’s schedule still remains, though. The Tigers must face the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday — as 6-point underdogs. Games against Ole Miss on the road and Texas A&M at home mean LSU must face three ranked teams (Associated Press poll) in November.
Still, it’s hard to imagine a better start to LSU’s 2015 season. (OK, if you want to get technical, we didn’t much like the weather cancelation of the team’s season opener.) Brandon Harris has played much better at quarterback. Leonard Fournette is the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. And the team’s defensive line has gotten pressure on opposing quarterbacks at a much higher rate.
At No. 2 in the first poll, LSU did not continue a streak that Mississippi State started and Alabama extended last season. The SEC no longer has claimed the top spot in every College Football Playoff poll ever released, as Clemson landed the top spot.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
