Rick Neuheisel explains why he’s not convinced LSU is Playoff team: ‘I’ve just got to see more’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Lane Kiffin will have massive expectations out of the gate to get LSU back to the College Football Playoff.
Whether that happens in Year One remains to be seen, but Rick Neuheisel isn’t quite there. The CBS Sports Network analyst noted on Tuesday that there’s “still a lot to be determined” as far as how a massively-overturned roster looks across a nine-game SEC schedule.
“I’ve got to wait to see it … I’ve just got to see more before I’m going to say that LSU is a CFP team,” Neuheisel said on “Inside College Football.”
There’s also Sam Leavitt, who, as Neuheisel pointed out, is coming off an injury. The former Arizona State quarterback needed foot surgery that limited him to seven games in 2025. Tigers fans will be looking for the Leavitt that threw for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns while running for 443 yards and five TDs in 2024.
The biggest factor, though, could be Lane Kiffin himself. That’s after his departure from Ole Miss to take over for Brian Kelly at LSU dominated headlines.
“Listen, $91 million they spent to get Lane there. They spent a ton of money on this roster. Whether or not it can come together and get it done. … there’s still a lot to be determined,” Neuheisel said.
LSU kicks off its season in Baton Rouge on Sept. 5 against Clemson.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
