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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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LSU has given itself a chance to reach the College Football Playoff in Lane Kiffin's first season, but the Tigers still have plenty of work to do.
Kiffin's debut got off to a strong start with a 51-10 win over Clemson, and LSU also handled Texas A&M, McNeese State, and Louisiana Tech comfortably. But narrow losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky have left the Tigers with little room for error. They responded by shutting out Mississippi State 31-0 before beating Auburn 38-17 on the road, and now enter the final stretch at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, ranked No. 15 in the latest AP poll.
With LSU firing at the right time, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt included them in his latest 12-team playoff prediction, giving the Tigers the No. 11 seed despite predicting they will finish 9-3. He sees LSU beating Alabama and Tennessee in November, with a loss to Texas, and believes those wins could be enough to secure an at-large spot. Klatt believes the Vols and Crimson Tide will finish 9-3 as well, along with Kentucky, but that LSU will have the edge over those SEC rivals.
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LSU has four games left, starting with No. 10 Alabama on Nov. 7, followed by No. 11 Texas and at No. 16 Tennessee before closing out their season at Arkansas. That's a brutal stretch of opponents, but also the perfect opportunity for the Tigers to assert themselves as one of the top teams in the SEC.
If they win out, that would give them three signature wins over ranked opponents and CFP contenders, making them a lock for the postseason. And even if their only loss is against the Longhorns, who are also trending in the right direction after their recent win over Ole Miss, a 9-3 record might still be enough for LSU to get in, especially if they can secure head-to-head wins over Tennessee and Alabama.
Kentucky makes things interesting. The Wildcats have already beaten LSU this season and currently sit 7-1 and atop the SEC with a conference record of 5-1. Their only loss came against Alabama in Week 2. The Wildcats next travel to Tennessee, before matchups against No. 17 Florida, at No. 23 Missouri, and at home against Louisville. Klatt is predicting them to fall off towards the end of the season, but even if they were to win out and finish 11-1, it would only strengthen LSU's case with the selection committee.
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Making the CFP would be huge for Kiffin in his debut season. They entered the year as national title contenders after locking up the top transfer class in the country and one of the top recruiting classes. LSU invested over $40 million in their roster and $91 million in Kiffin. Making the postseason would help justify those investments, especially if LSU can go on a deep run.
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