‘I have a really hard time right now’ – ESPN makes it clear how they feel about LSU going into the into stretch of the season
LSU improved to 6-2 this past weekend thanks to their big road win over Auburn.
LSU improved to 6-2 this past weekend thanks to their 38-17 win on the road over Auburn.
Lane Kiffin’s squad likely needs to win out to secure a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
LSU, which has a bye this upcoming weekend, is one of a cluster of SEC teams that currently has two losses.
The Tigers will play three of those two-loss teams over the next few weeks (Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee).
For now, ESPN says LSU is the two loss SEC team that should be “trusted” the most.
“I have a really hard time not buying into LSU right now,” said ESPN’s Alex Scarborough. “Go look at the way the Tigers dominated Mississippi State and Auburn in their past two games. See a final combined score of 69-17.
“… It’s the offense that’s starting to look scary good. The return of star tight end Trey’Dez Green was felt against Auburn, not just with his touchdown catch but with the way it opened up more favorable coverage for the receivers. Jackson Harris has emerged as a true No. 1 target with nine receptions for 178 yards and two scores in this game. As Kiffin said afterward, quarterback Sam Leavitt is ‘off-the-charts efficient’ right now, running and passing. He appears to have settled into the offense and gotten onto the same page with coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. And what gives it all balance is the hard running of Dilin Jones, who brings it every week.”
ESPN’s Bill Connelly labeled LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt as “trustworthy” after his uneven start to the season.
“Leavitt is settling down, in other words, and amid the chaos of the last two weeks — in the most chaotic of power conferences — LSU has looked steady and spectacular,” noted Connelly. “As a 7-point favorite against an Auburn team coming off an upset of Georgia, LSU traded jabs for about 10 minutes, then started landing haymakers. The Tigers scored TDs on four of their last five drives of the first half to open an insurmountable 31-10 lead, then played things safe and ran out the clock for a 38-17 win.”
If LSU can survive November — which certainly won’t be an easy task — they’ll reach the College Football Playoff in Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge.
