We’re halfway through Lane Kiffin’s first season as LSU’s head coach and the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes are on life support.

LSU’s 35-34 loss to Kentucky this past weekend means the Tigers will likely need to win out to have a legitimate chance to make the playoff.

And that won’t be easy with big games remaining against Alabama, Texas, and at Tennessee (the Tigers also play Mississippi State, Auburn, and Arkansas).

LSU is reportedly spending north of $40 million on its roster this season. It may be Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge, but no program is spending that kind of money to not make the playoff.

So the fact that LSU is facing elimination before the end of October isn’t exactly ideal, and it’s understandable if fans aren’t happy.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, though, doesn’t think Kiffin has lost the LSU fan base just yet.

“People are asking me if LSU fans have turned on Kiffin,” said Finebaum on Monday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “I don’t think they have because they see the potential of this team. They feel better about Lane Kiffin than they did Brian Kelly. So I think really that’s where Kiffin is right now.

“I think nationally, people are probably wondering, ‘Are they going to fire Lane?’ No, they’re not. I promise you. But I think what’s going on around the country is probably that everybody is taking such joy in these losses (by LSU), and that one (against Kentucky) was something special for the masses. The next one will be the killer, though, because that’s when you can stick a fork in LSU.”

The last thing Kiffin needs is to finish 8-4 (or worse) with a $40 million-plus roster. Again, it may be year one, but that much money spent on a team demands a better result than a trip to a random bowl game in Florida in late December.

There isn’t too much noise from the LSU fan base right now, but that could quickly change with another loss or two.