Brian Kelly previews his typical Year 3 boom with LSU ReliaQuest Bowl win

It may only look like a one-possession victory over middling Wisconsin in a mid-tier bowl game on New Year's Day, but this is all about what next season has to offer for Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers. LSU improved to 10-3 on the year by beating Luke Fickell's Wisconsin Badgers to the tune of 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl down in Tampa. LSU was without Jayden Daniels, but that did not matter much at all.

Garrett Nussmeier got the start under center for the Bayou Bengals, going toe-to-toe with Badgers starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai. While I would say that LSU was definitely the better team throughout the entire season over Wisconsin, this was a new spot for the Tigers. Kelly has back-to-back double-digit win seasons under his belt at LSU, but his third year is always the one to watch.

Ever since leaving Grand Valley State for Central Michigan, year three under Kelly at any of his FBS stops has been chock full of excellence. Year three at Central Michigan saw the 2006 Chippewas win the MAC and go 9-4. He left CMU for Cincinnati that offseason. Year three at Cincinnati saw the 2008 Bearcats win the Big East at 11-3 only to lose the Orange Bowl. He left for Notre Dame the next year.

Year three for Kelly at Notre Dame saw the 2012 Fighting Irish go 12-1. They finished the regular season undefeated before getting clobbered by the Alabama Crimson Tide in the penultimate BCS National Championship. With one of the softest schedules in a division-less, 16-team SEC, a win over Ole Miss in Magnolia might be enough to get LSU back to Atlanta for the second time in three years.

If Kelly trusts Nussmeier like he did on Monday, LSU should be a serious national title contender.

Brian Kelly's year three pop preview was only full display vs. Wisconsin

What I really like about LSU's chances of contending for a national championship is that the Tigers do not even have to win the SEC to make this a reality. In fact, they do not even need to get to Atlanta to have a real shot at this. All the Tigers need to do is be a top-three or four team in the SEC next year with something along the lines of a 10-2 record, which is what LSU has been the last two seasons.

As far as making their push beyond being a top-15 team that does not go to New Year's Six bowls under Kelly, the Tigers need to catch somebody by their toes in the first round of the playoff. If they end up with a top-four seed as next year's SEC Champions, even better. The point in this is the stars are aligning for Kelly to do what he does and dominate in his third seasons leading an FBS program.

Overall, I would be shocked if the SEC does not get at least four teams in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff next year. Outside of LSU, teams like Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Ole Miss are likely contenders, as are SEC newcomers Oklahoma and Texas. No, the SEC is not getting six teams into the expanded playoff next year in year one, but LSU feels like a top-four team in the SEC.

The past is the best indicator of future success, and year three has been Kelly's magical season.