Brian Kelly predicts LSU will beat Tennessee in 2026, but his reason for the pick is questionable
The Tennessee Vols will play the LSU Tigers in Neyland Stadium in November.
Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly predicted this week that the Tigers will beat the Tennessee Vols when the two programs meet in Neyland Stadium in November.
Most fans and analysts view that game as a coin flip, so I don’t think anyone is going to throw shade at his prediction.
The reason for Kelly’s pick, though, doesn’t really hold up.
“Blake Baker, the defensive coordinator (at LSU), has done really well against Josh Heupel’s offenses, so I expect LSU to win this game at Tennessee,” said Kelly.
Baker has faced Heupel’s offense at Tennessee twice.
Both times came when Baker was the defensive coordinator at Missouri.
In 2022, the Vols beat Missouri 66-24.
Baker fared much better a year later when Missouri held Tennessee to seven points in a 36-7 win.
The 2023 offense at Tennessee, however, was the worst of the Heupel era. The Vols struggled to move the ball against SEC opponents with Joe Milton under center and a lack of elite talent at wide receiver.
So was it really Baker’s defense, or just the fact that Tennessee’s offense struggled in 2023?
Either way, it doesn’t really matter who Kelly picks to win this game in August. In fact, I have no clue why we’re asking anyone to make predictions for games in November. We have no idea who the Vols’ quarterback will be, or what either team will actually look like by that point in the season. There’s absolutely no value to making a pick right now for that game.
