The thing about Charlie Brown is that football must have looked so good every time Lucy lined it up for him. Like surely this time nothing could possibly go wrong, no matter what history might tell you otherwise.
Which brings us to Lane Kiffin and LSU, who ran roughshod over Auburn at Jordan-Hare on Saturday afternoon en route to a 38-17 win. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Tigers were more or less left for dead at 4-2. Now, they've won their last two games by 52 combined points — and in a year in which down is up and up is down, both in the SEC and around the country, how many more teams can boast a higher ceiling?
Of course, the ceiling has never been Kiffin's problem; remember when he led Ole Miss to a stirring home win over Georgia, only to stub his toe against Billy Napier and Florida to crash out of the College Football Playoff picture? If you want to roll your eyes at all of this and wait for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction, I get it. But there are very real reasons to think that this time might finally be different, and that this LSU team has a legitimate chance to win SEC and national titles.
Improved Sam Leavitt has made all the difference for LSU
It all starts with Sam Leavitt. The former Arizona State darling was not a popular man after LSU's second loss, his penchant for back-breaking mistakes and bailing from the pocket early outweighing his considerable athletic gifts. Maybe being limited by an ankle injury has helped him develop some better habits, though; whatever the explanation, Leavitt looks like a totally different player of late.
He's completed 63 of 83 pass attempts over the last two weeks, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. And he's done all that from the pocket: After averaging 12 carries a game across his first six contests, he's got 12 combined across this last two. A version of Leavitt who can go through progressions, push the ball downfield and then beat you with his legs when all else fails? That's one of the best quarterbacks in the country, full stop — and one who dramatically raises LSU's ceiling and floor.
Combine that with a healthy Trey'Dez Green, an emerging WR1 in Jackson Harris and a young defense that's growing into this season, and this is going to be a very difficult team to beat. Which, considering their closing schedule, puts everything on the table.
LSU's schedule sets up well for SEC title, College Football Playoff run
The Tigers now ease into their bye week, during which they'll get healthy and prepare for a three-game stretch that will define their season. Here's how the rest of their regular-season schedule looks:
- Nov. 7: vs. Alabama
- Nov. 14: vs. Texas
- Nov. 21: at Tennessee
- Nov. 28: at Arkansas
At first blush, that looks awfully daunting, especially considering that LSU likely has no further margin for error in both the SEC and CFP races. But Alabama has been a significantly different team away from Tuscaloosa this season, with Keelon Russell still growing at quarterback and offensive line injuries creating a weakness the Tigers' ferocious pass rush could exploit. Texas is a mess right now, so much so that they might be about to bench Arch Manning. And Tennessee, for as great as their defense and running game have been, has an unproven redshirt freshman at quarterback and is currently getting all they can handle at South Carolina.
Getting two of the three in Baton Rouge helps a ton, and while a trip to Knoxville is daunting, would you not pick LSU in that game if it took place today? Getting to the conference title game in Atlanta will be tricky with two losses and losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to both Kentucky and Ole Miss. It's hardly crazy to see any of the current four-loss teams losing again before the year is through, though, and the Tigers can help their own cause with games against Bama and Tennessee.
I know, I know, we've said all these things before. The path has seemingly opened before Kiffin in the past, only for him to find some rock to trip on before gets to his ultimate destination. Right now, though, very few teams combine explosiveness on both sides of the ball like these Tigers. And in this most chaotic year, wouldn't it be weirdly fitting if Kiffin was the man left standing at the end?
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