As the first College Football Playoff rankings revealed a thin margin for error, Lane Kiffin and two-loss LSU begin a season-defining stretch against nationally ranked competition. The Tigers were slotted 14th in the initial rankings, behind six other SEC teams, and are one of four top-15 teams without a ranked win this season.
LSU's losses came at Ole Miss and Kentucky, while victories over then-ranked Texas A&M and Mississippi State have lost luster as the Aggies have struggled offensively and the Bulldogs have lost four straight since quarterback Kamario Taylor's season-ending toe injury. Despite the resume concerns, metrics favor the Tigers: they rank fourth nationally in game control, 23rd in strength of schedule, and 16th in strength of record.
The remaining schedule is the third-toughest in college football, with No. 7 Texas, No. 13 Tennessee, and Arkansas looming after Saturday's matchup with No. 5 Alabama. Some have labeled the Alabama game a CFP eliminator for the loser, but the parity in the SEC this season makes it premature to write off either team with three games remaining after this one.
Kiffin is 0-5 all-time against Alabama as a head coach and 13-26 overall against nationally ranked opponents. He acknowledged the high stakes on Monday: "I think November meaningful games, I don't mean this arrogantly, that's what we've been used to for a lot of years now, really every year. I'm glad that's where we are right now, we should be even better position, but you guys know the (one) game that haunts that of the position we're in, so it is what it is and less margin for error than we would have. We've got to make sure that we perform really well against a really good team that's coached really well."
Alabama's two ranked wins came against Kentucky and South Carolina, teams that were not in the AP poll at the time but have since become two of the SEC's hottest teams. Kiffin emphasized physicality and execution during the open week, calling Alabama "the most talented team we've played so far" when considering all 22 players.
