Paul Finebaum says LSU, Brian Kelly ‘need’ to make the College Football Playoff in 2025
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LSU is perhaps the most interesting team in college football.
The Tigers have a quarterback returning who is widely expected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. They have the No. 1-ranked transfer class of the offseason. LSU signed a third consecutive top-10 high school class. And, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the Tigers are top-25 nationally in returning production. This should be a College Football Playoff team.
But head coach Brian Kelly has yet to produce a Playoff appearance since joining the Tigers. In 3 seasons with the program, he has more Heisman Trophy winners than he does season-opening wins. After a pair of 10-win seasons in 2022 and 2023, LSU opened the 2024 season at No. 13 in the AP poll, climbed as high as No. 8, but closed the year unranked.
As the Tigers have pushed all their chips to the center of the table for the 2025 campaign, it’s a “title or bust” kind of season in Baton Rouge.
During a segment on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday, several ESPN commentators were asked what a successful season would look like for Kelly.
“Contending for the SEC Championship and also making the College Football Playoff,” Harry Douglas responded.
LSU opens the season on the road against Clemson. A win would go a long way toward securing a Playoff bid. A loss would turn up the noise surrounding Kelly. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum was asked what would happen if LSU missed the CFP, and while he didn’t really get into that potential, he did acknowledge the urgency there is to make the 12-team field.
“Well, he does need to make the Playoffs. I was with him a couple of weeks ago, and he is extremely confident,” Finebaum said. “He has shored up that defense tremendously in the portal, he has recruited well. He’s got things going. But you’re right about the Playoffs.”
Finebaum added that “because of the opening game,” LSU has some “wiggle room” to absorb a third loss without it affecting their CFP chances.
Heather Dinich agreed with that assessment.
“When you look at this schedule, they could have 3. At Clemson, I also see at Ole Miss, at Alabama, and let’s not overlook the regular-season finale against the Sooners because ESPN’s FPI gives them about a 51, 52% chance to win that game,” Dinich said.
A 3-loss Alabama team and a 2-loss Miami team were left out of the CFP last season in favor of a 2-loss SMU squad that played in its conference title game. A 1-loss Indiana team also made the field. The committee favored wins over metrics like strength of schedule.
According to Connelly’s SP+, LSU has the ninth-toughest schedule in the country this fall.
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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.
