Is LSU on upset watch against Mississippi State?

The defending national champions open up the 2020 season against the Mississippi State Bulldogs and new head coach Mike Leach. Although Paul Finebaum didn’t put the Tigers on upset alert, he named the SEC West division game as the “most intriguing” for the SEC during its opening week. That includes a ranked-vs-ranked matchup between Kentucky and Auburn, too.

Finebaum explained his pick on SportsCenter Sunday morning.

“Mississippi State at LSU,” Finebaum said about the most intriguing game. “Mike Leach in the SEC, playing the defending national champs. What’s interesting about LSU, who is not there? Let’s start with Joe Burrow…the two coordinates are gone. It’s a complete wipeout, and they’re still a preseason top 10 and the fans think they’re going to do it again. Whether they will or not I’m not too sure. But I really can’t wait to see Mike Leach, he has a graduate transfer quarterback (KJ Costello) from the west coast. It may not decide the national championship but it’s intriguing to say the least.”

One can tell by Finebaum’s comments that he could see MSU pulling the upset to start the season. LSU has been about a 17.5-point favorite, but the game could certainly be closer than that. This is a completely different LSU football team, but it is not lacking in talent.

Leach’s “Air Raid” offense will be highly popular during his debut season, and it’ll be interesting to see how it fares in Year 1. That starts against the defending national champions Saturday in Baton Rouge.