By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU suffered its third loss of the season in an embarrassing, 31-13 defeat to touchdown-underdog Alabama on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
It’s another BAMA BREEZE for the Crimson Tide at the friendly confines of Tiger Stadium. https://t.co/auJXa5Fjpi
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 8, 2026
It was a critical matchup for the Tigers, who found themselves ranked No. 14 for a 12-team playoff berth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. But even with the disappointing result, LSU (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) may not be out of the postseason race just yet as it has a chance to rise as plays two ranked opponents in the next two weeks – No. 7 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC) on Saturday and No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 SEC) on the road on Nov. 21.
Meanwhile, No. 5 Alabama (7-2, 5-2 SEC) is on its way with a light schedule ahead.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin said after the loss that nights like Saturday are the reason he does not talk about big picture, postseason implications with his team ahead of big games. Those games do not always go your way, but there is still football left to be played. Now, it is up to how they respond.
Safety Ty Benefield said all there is to do is accept it, watch the tape, learn and move on.
“There should be nothing else in your head but wanting to get that sour taste out of your mouth more than anything,” he said after the game. “Losing is hard, and we all hate that. If you don’t, you’re a weirdo.”
Only two three-loss teams have ever made the CFP, but both were special circumstances. In 2024, Clemson earned a bid as the Atlantic Coast Conference champion with three losses, and last year’s Alabama team became the only one to receive an at-large bid with a three in the loss column. The Tide, however, were still 10-2 in the regular season, and the third loss came in a 28-7 Southeastern Conference championship defeat to No. 3 Georgia. The selection committee determined Bama could not be punished for the SEC title loss as if it was a regular season loss, because other teams did not play such a postseason game.
With the chaos of college football again this season, though, the CFP outlook may look a little different than in year’s past. Only two undefeated teams remain in UCLA (9-0) and Utah (9-0) after No. 1 Miami (8-1) lost by 31-24 at Notre Dame (8-1) on Saturday night.
Ahead of LSU in the rankings, No. 12 Ohio State (6-3) lost to No. 23 Oregon, 41-28, and No. 10 Ole Miss (6-3, 4-3 SEC) lost embarrassingly, 42-7, to No. 2 Georgia and join LSU with three losses. And No. 6 Kentucky (7-2, 5-2 SEC) got blown out, 34-6, by Tennessee to fall to two losses along with No. 9 BYU (7-2), which lost 28-20 at Utah on Saturday.
Of the 25 teams to make the first CFP rankings of the season, two are undefeated, seven have one loss, nine have two, six have three and one has four. At this time last season, there were three undefeated teams remaining, seven one-loss teams in the rankings, 13 two-loss teams and only one team with three losses in the top 25.
The CFP playoff race is more open than it has ever been thanks to the defeats that the best teams in the nation have suffered. Still, LSU has positioned itself outside of that conversation for a postseason berth, at least for now. The Tigers are one of the few 6-3 teams that have a chance of remaining in the top 25. But they do not have the big wins yet needed to make the selection committee look past the record. And two of LSU’s three losses now do not look as good as they previously did with Ole Miss and Kentucky each getting blown out worse than LSU did on Saturday.
LSU’s best win of the season is amazingly the 51-10 blowout of Clemson in the season opener. Clemson is not even ranked, but it is 6-3 and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. LSU’s other decent win is 38-17 win over unranked Auburn (5-4, 3-4). The Tigers’ saving grace has been that their first two losses were on the road by one score at Ole Miss, 32-24, and at Kentucky, 35-34 in overtime. But neither Ole Miss nor Kentucky looked like playoff teams on Saturday, and LSU definitely did not.
LSU’s remaining schedule offers an answer to its numerous shortcomings but also an added challenge for Kiffin and the reeling Tigers. On Saturday, the Tigers host No. 7 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC), who should move up in the rankings after a 34-20 win over No. 18 Missouri on Saturday. Then on Nov. 21, LSU travels to No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 SEC). LSU closes the season at Arkansas (3-6, 1-5 SEC). The two potentially top 10 opponents over the next two weeks give LSU a chance if it wins out.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt said after the Bama loss that he and wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. had a conversation about pushing through the final stretch.
“Just as a man in life, you give your all into everything that you do – something that my dad preached to me growing up, and one thing that I live by,” he said. “It’s your makeup, and you try to give yourself every single opportunity you can. If we got a small chance, and you’re gonna go give it everything you got. If it doesn’t work out, at least you’re able to look yourself at the end of the day in the mirror and say you gave everything you got.”
Even with statement wins the next two games, LSU likely will not control its own destiny. LSU could create a cluster of three-loss SEC teams on the CFP bubble: LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss and possibly Kentucky and/or Missouri. Each would have wins and losses against the others, and there is no guarantee the Tigers’ strength of schedule could outshine their foes’.
Texas finishes the season with Arkansas and Texas A&M. Tennessee plays A&M and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss gets Oklahoma, Wofford and Mississippi State. Kentucky takes on Florida, Missouri and Louisville. Mizzou also plays Georgia and Oklahoma.
In addition to that headache, there are still plenty of other power conference teams who may not have the same strength of schedule as the SEC teams, but will likely end up with a better record. Texas Tech still has just one loss, and BYU is likely to finish with two in the Big 12. Along with Miami in the ACC, Wake Forest is rolling with one loss and has a big matchup with two-loss SMU next week. The winner of that also has an edge to make the playoffs.
There are still so many scenarios and variables at play, and LSU clearly has an uphill battle far beyond what it does. But it would be premature to say the Tigers are fully eliminated. Anything can happen in college football, especially this season.
Kiffin and the Tigers, who do not have a true quality win yet, are very much on the outside looking in. And they will need someone else to open the door for them to join the party.
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