10 teams who could make their first College Football Playoff in 2019
By Nick Villano
3. LSU
The LSU Tigers were once a powerhouse under head coach Les Miles, but times have sure changed in a few years. Now, Ed Orgeron is leading the Tigers after they won 10 games for the first time since 2013. They beat an injury-riddled UCF in the Fiesta Bowl to reach double-digit wins.
Now, they go into this season ranked 10th in the country. They are primed to make a move this season, as long as they win the games they need to and steal one or two as an underdog. They have a huge matchup with Texas week two. If they win that game, it puts them on the map going into their SEC schedule.
They play Alabama on the road, so they will likely lose that game, but they play Texas A&M, Auburn, and the Florida Gators at home. To make the Playoff, they can only afford to lose one game, and since they play the Crimson Tide on the road, they need to make sure that’s the only game they lose.
Since they play in the SEC West, they can watch Alabama go undefeated, but would still have a gripe to make it into the final four even if they don’t make it to the SEC Championship Game.
LSU returns 15 starters and will move their offense to a run-pass option with senior quarterback Joe Burrow. They welcome the nation’s second-best running back prospect in John Emery Jr. He should get playing time right away and will help them have a leg up on other players across the country.