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By Cameron Kiszla
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No one captured the attention of the college football world at the end of last season like Lane Kiffin's hiring at LSU, and now, one prominent college football writer thinks the splashy hire will feel pressure to produce results immediately.
Appearing on "The Dan Patrick Show," Bruce Feldman of The Athletic said a bowl game alone won't be enough for Kiffin and Co.
"Realistically," the Tigers need to "probably get to the Playoff," Feldman told Patrick.
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Why such high expectations? Because Kiffin brought in a roster that, on paper, is ready to compete for a title this season.
"They spent a ton of money in the portal," Feldman said. "You bring in Sam Leavitt, who guided ASU to the Playoff two years ago. You bring in some really high-level defensive players both on the D line and in the secondary. Ty Benefield from Boise State is one of the best players in the country. Lane, him and Charlie Weis, I think you have really good offensive coaches. They shouldn't have been as bad as they were last year under Brian Kelly. Things kind of fell apart there. I think realistic expectations is to make the Playoff. They have enough talent and they're paying them a lot of money."
That money, according to Kelly, is north of $40 million for the team.
With a roster built with a payroll like — plus returning stars like linebacker Whit Weeks — the Tigers should be poised for success.
And if they're not? What happens next?
Feldman made clear that he doesn't believe it will be time to hit the panic button, but the expectations are certainly set high.
"It doesn't mean this is a bad hire if they don't make the Playoff in year one," he said. "I don't think it's national title or bust. But I think the realistic expectation, it's a 12-team Playoff. You should be, with the portal and what you brought in, a legit Playoff team."
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