Brian Kelly joined CBS Sports as an analyst in the aftermath of his oft-chaotic tenure as head coach at LSU.
And in true Kelly fashion, it didn’t take him long to immerse himself in the most awkward exercise he possibly could in his new role at CBS. The 64-year-old Kelly, who went 34-14 during his controversial time in Baton Rouge that started in 2022 and didn’t even make it through the 2025 season, took his shot in revealing what LSU would do on a game-by-game basis in 2026.
Talk about bulletin board material for this season’s Tigers and Tigers fans alike, who said goodbye to Kelly last fall after he was fired following LSU’s 5-3 start to the 2025 season that included a horrendous 2-3 mark in the SEC. Kelly’s departure ultimately led to LSU hiring Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss, and on Monday, CBS Sports’ brand new hire took out his proverbial pen and marked down which games the Tigers were going to win and which ones they were going to lose.
This video is sure to get a few views in the Baton Rouge area and in the state of Louisiana. It’s 1 minute, 41 seconds of a head coach who left LSU on not-so-good terms telling passionate Tigers fans what he thinks they will do in LSU’s first full season without him since 2021.
With that, here it goes LSU faithful.
Here is exactly how Kelly believes Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge will go, step by step, game by game:
That wasn’t so bad LSU fans. Right? It’s not like Kelly buried the 2026 Tigers with some shallow season prediction. Quite the contrary — he propped them up, believing a double-digit-win season could be in the offering if LSU can keep its quarterback healthy.
While Kelly revealed his LSU game-by-game prediction for 2026, the Tigers will play out this fall’s slate in real time as they chase down an SEC title. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about LSU’s chances to outlast the SEC’s other powerhouses and hold up that conference trophy in December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
