CBS Sports Ranks Strength Of Schedule For SEC First-Year Coaches

Carter Bahns of CBS Sports thinks that LSU's strength of schedule ranks as the easiest for first-year head coach Lane Kiffin compared to the other five newcomers in the SEC:

quote:

---

Here are the schedules for the SEC's first-year coaches, ranked from toughest to easiest:

1. Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas
2. Will Stein, Kentucky
3. Pete Golding, Ole Miss
4. Jon Sumrall, Florida
5. Alex Golesh, Auburn
6. Lane Kiffin, LSU

6. Lane Kiffin, LSU
2026 schedule: Clemson, Louisiana Tech, at Ole Miss, Texas A&M, McNeese, at Kentucky, Mississippi State, at Auburn, Alabama, Texas, at Tennessee, at Arkansas

No Georgia. No Oklahoma. Texas A&M, Alabama and Texas at home. That has to be music to Kiffin's ears as he seeks a CFP berth in his first year at LSU. Only four of the Tigers' opponents finished the 2025 season inside the AP Top 25, and if those are the only high-quality teams this squad faces in 2026, a trip to the playoff should be within reach. That Kiffin secured the No. 1 transfer portal class (by a sizable margin, no less) could make the Tigers competitive if not better than the few playoff-caliber opponents on their slate. This is a win-now setup for a program that expects nothing less.

---