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ESPN Identifies The Biggest Lingering Question Facing LSU In 2026

By Staff Reporter••

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

ESPN writers recently compiled a list of "lingering questions" for every Top 25 College Football team heading into the season.

For LSU, they questioned whether first-year head coach Lane Kiffin can immediately deliver results in Baton Rouge.

quote:
10. LSU Tigers
2025 record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC

Can Lane Kiffin deliver the goods?

We can just take "lingering" out of the subject line and go with the only question that matters: Will Kiffin transform LSU into a national title contender in his first year on the job? He did not jump from Ole Miss to the Tigers just to be OK. There is a championship pedigree in Baton Rouge, and though Kiffin has never won it all as a head coach, the expectation among LSU faithful is national title or bust. Kiffin went into the portal and put together a roster that is capable, given its talent. Maybe his newly hired special assistant for recruiting and defense, Ed Orgeron, can give him a few pointers. -- Adelson

Originally published on TigerDroppings.com

21 Comments

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TDsngumbo•3 days

7-6? We went 7-6 last year with a retired head coach and a quarterback who damn near threw backwards passes. Kiffin is not allowing LSU to go 7-6 this year.

BigDaddy6612•3 days

Don’t talk bad about Nuss lol, the homers think he’s going to the Hall in the league.

mike4lsu•3 days

We are playing 10 power 5 conference teams this year.
@Auburn: How many great Tiger teams have had their hopes dashed their
@Tennessee: In the winter it is a tough place to play
Alabama: See the record of the past 20 years and 100 years
Texas: That team has more NFL starters than an NFL team
@Arkansas: Fayetteville in the last week of November is a tough place.
Clemson: We start with what 40-50 new players in the first game. There will be growing pains. Clemson is no slouch.
@Ole Miss: That place will look like Normandy on 6th June 1944.
TAMU: They will come locked and loaded.
@Kentucky: Last win there was the blue grass miracle, 2002.

The schedule is brutal with a brand new team, learning a brand new system where not a whole lot of players have played with each other.

....The "retired coach" under similar (though not as tough circumstances) won the west that year.

....So please get a clue....if not buy, beg, borrow or steal one.

LSUbacchus81•3 days

I bet you didn’t see 7-6 last year either

Show 3 more replies in this conversation

theballguy•3 days

If Lane can get Ole Miss to a deep run in the playoffs, he'll get LSU a natty eventually.

TDsngumbo•3 days

Don't you mean Playoff Pete? He got them to the playoffs according to Ole Miss fans.

Pipes9870slu•2 days

And you care because

friendlyobservation•3 days

Here's a lingering question for ESPN: Are they ever not clickbait?

jkylejohnson•2 days

Suck my dick espn

Koolazzkat•2 days

Only way LSU goes 7-6 this season is without Kiffin. Verge, make damn sure Lane is surrounded by secret service agents and wrapped in Kevlar on September 19.

hottub•2 days

LSU makes the playoffs this year and makes a deep run. Probably wins natty 2027 season.

HuntinFishin25•2 days

Luv your optimism but not reality. If this were a five player sport maybe. This requires 35 players to be 'lock step' fine tuned engine with luck to be a serious contender. Not this year but 2027 will be the year! Book mark this reply and GEAUX TIGERS!!!

chadr07•2 days

I do think LSU at least makes the playoffs this year. This roster has too much talent and too good of a coaching staff not to at least get in. I’m not saying LSU wins it all but I think they can win a game or two in the playoffs. All I can say if LSU doesn’t make the playoffs this year, there will be some ruffled feathered donors already. 40+ million spent on a roster and don’t even make the playoffs? That’s Brian Kelly shite.

Kc from BR•12 hours

Who even pays attention to espn anymore

Jabontik•1 day

After week one all anyone will be talking about is our defense

Mouche337•1 day

If LSU goes through this schedule and makes the playoffs, they'll win the Natty. This isn't a cupcake schedule and the only way to navigate it successfully is if the gel together. And if they gel together, there isn't a team in the country that can beat them. Again, this is if they gel together. We'll see..

sharkfhin•1 day

These people want 15-0 in yr 1 after 7-6. Wild shite. All of the media is waiting to crush Kif when he goes 8-4(9-4 with bowl win)

mule74•3 days

“Can Lane Kiffin deliver the goods?”

How lazy can you be? You couldn’t take any deeper to come up with a more root question about what may affect LSU’s season? It’s like they tried to think of the most surface level thing they could say.