Brian Kelly says LSU is still part of SEC title race after Vandy loss
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LSU is not dead, and head coach Brian Kelly doesn’t believe he needs to remind his team of that.
Following Saturday’s 31-24 loss to No. 17 Vanderbilt, the Tigers find themselves at a crossroads. With a 5-2 record, the College Football Playoff is not yet out of reach, but the margin for error is almost non-existent heading into a brutal stretch to close out the regular season. Last year suggested a 3-loss team, even from the SEC, doesn’t have a favorable path into the Playoff.
When Kelly was asked by reporters in the postgame press conference if he was worried about the loss snowballing, he expressed confidence in his group.
“It’s a competitive group. They have a lot of pride. They’re going to play hard,” Kelly said. “We just have to play smarter and cleaner. I’m not worried about the guys not wanting to play at their very best. … They’re still in it.”
LSU plays a Texas A&M team next weekend that is currently ranked in the AP top 5. LSU still has road games at Alabama and Oklahoma.
The Tigers don’t have a win over an opponent that is currently ranked. The shine on the win over Clemson to open the season has rusted. LSU’s 10-point home win over a Florida team that is another loss away from firing its coach doesn’t move the needle. And a 10-point home win over a South Carolina team that is 1-4 in league likely won’t inspire the CFP selection committee.
LSU has to handle bad teams and beat important teams down the stretch.
Kelly says those options are still very much on the table.
“They’ve got Texas A&M at home, then they get a week off, then it’s a 4-game race to the SEC Championship,” he said.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
