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LSU football season preview 2020: Record predictions, depth chart analysis, breakout players

By Cody Williams

Ed Orgeron, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Ed Orgeron, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Terrace Marshall, LSU football (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

LSU football 2020 game-by-game record prediction

vs. Mississippi State, Sept. 26

Mike Leach and quarterback K.J. Costello arriving in Starkville, the Bulldogs should be exciting. That being said, in the early days of adopting the air-raid this season against LSU’s secondary, that could result in quite a dismal outing for Mississippi State in Baton Rouge. Prediction: Win, 31-13

at Vanderbilt, Oct. 3

LSU gets a gift out of the gate in the 2020 season with their opening string of games. Their first road game takes them to take on one of the doormats in the SEC, Vanderbilt. It’s hard to find a single area where the Commodores have an advantage, even with the Tigers’ question marks coming into the year. Prediction: Win, 41-7

vs. Missouri, Oct. 10

This is another game where LSU should have advantages across the board, though not quite as severely as against Vandy. Missouri is going to be competitive this season but I don’t see them being good enough to pick up a win in Death Valley. Prediction: Win, 28-17

at Florida, Oct. 17

This one feels like a major toss-up as it’s LSU’s first true test of the year and the first in a string of tough road games throughout the year. I’m not as bought-in on Florida as some people. However, I like Todd Grantham’s defense to cause Brennan, making only his fourth start, problems and the Gators offense to find enough to hand the Tigers a loss. Prediction: Loss, 21-17

vs. South Carolina, Oct. 24

Very similar to Missouri, Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks aren’t going to be threatening to win the SEC this season but South Carolina isn’t going to get steamrolled much, if at all. Having said that, their offensive inconsistency and some holes on the defense lead me to believe that LSU should score a comfortable win at home over the Gamecocks. Prediction: Win, 34-20

at Auburn, Oct. 31

Playing at Auburn, crowd or no crowd, won’t be an easy task for LSU. At this point in the season, though, I don’t expect Orgeron’s team to be going through any growing pains. And if you’ve never heard this from me before, Bo Nix is not someone I’m buying any stock in, especially with a worse defense and offensive line to protect him. Prediction: Win, 26-14

vs. Alabama, Nov. 14

LSU’s win over Alabama last season was absolutely critical to proving their merit as title contenders, especially winning in Tuscaloosa. Having said that, Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide should be a more traditional Bama team predicated upon the run game and elite defense this year. That will be too much for the Tigers to handle. Prediction: Loss, 30-20

at Arkansas, Nov. 21

After a two-game stint against the powerhouses out of the state of Alabama, the Tigers get a respite with another SEC bottom-feeder as they go on the road to face the Razorbacks. Sam Pittman’s team really doesn’t stand a chance in this one, though hopefully, they’ll put up a fight to save some face. Prediction: Win, 48-13

at Texas A&M, Nov. 28

In terms of talent, the rival Aggies aren’t far behind LSU in what they can accomplish this season. Having said that, Jimbo Fisher hasn’t exactly produced the desired results to this point and a big reason why is the inconsistency of quarterback Kellen Mond. Even in College Station for this rivalry game, I have the Tigers taking the victory and it won’t take seven overtimes either. Prediction: Win, 34-31

vs. Ole Miss, Dec. 5

The season is bookended by playing the conference’s two representatives from Mississippi and, like their rivals in Starkville, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss fall into a similar category. They might be one of the most entertaining teams in college football and have plenty of offense but the defensive talent isn’t there to keep the pace with LSU. Prediction: Win, 45-28

LSU football final record prediction: 8-2

People have talked all offseason about how much LSU football is going to regress given what they’ve lost. Yes, they have to replace a ton of talent and will take a step back — but even an 8-2 finish in an all-SEC schedule is a negative regression. 7-3 is in the cards if they take a loss at Auburn or Texas A&M but expect the Tigers to be in the mix right below Alabama in the SEC West.