LSU Drops To 21 In CFP, But Can Rise Fast Vs. No. 6 Texas And No. 8 Tennessee

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

It’s all right there in front of LSU, maybe, if the Tigers can figure out how to win a close game for the first time all season.

And so far, the Tigers are 0-for-3 in that category with a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss, a 35-34 defeat in overtime at Kentucky and a 31-13 blowout at the hands of Alabama on Saturday, but the Tigers led 13-10 late in the third quarter and were within 17-13 until the nine-minute mark of the game.

LSU (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) also has a long way to go after falling to No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday night. The Tigers were No. 14 before the loss to Alabama (7-2, 5-2 SEC), which rose from No. 5 to 3. The Tigers’ six wins were by an average of 34 points.

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The Tigers’ first opportunity to rise in the CFP rankings is Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC) against No. 6 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC), which went up a spot from No. 7 after a 34-20 win over No. 18 Missouri (6-3, 3-3 SEC), which is now No. 22. Then LSU plays at No. 8 Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 SEC) on Saturday, Nov. 21, on the road at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN or ABC. LSU closes the season at Arkansas (3-6, 1-5 SEC) on Nov. 28.

At 9-3 and 6-3, LSU could have a chance to reach the 12-team playoff with some luck and some strong consideration of its last two victories, should it get by Texas and Tennessee. Of the 25 teams in the new CFP poll, none of the teams LSU has wins over are in the poll.

Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) is No. 1 after rising one spot following No. 1 Miami’s loss at No. 11 Notre Dame (8-1), which rose to No. 5. Utah (9-0) is No. 2. UCLA (9-0) is No. 4. Miami (8-1) dropped to No. 7. Indiana (8-1) is No. 9, and BYU (7-2) is No. 10.

Kentucky (7-2, 5-2) is No. 11, followed by Texas Tech (8-1), Wake Forest (8-1), Houston (7-2 and Iowa (7-2) to complete the top 15.

Oregon (6-3) is No. 16, followed by No. 17 South Carolina (6-3, 4-3), No. 18 USC (7-2), No. 19 Ole Miss (6-3, 4-3 SEC), which dropped the most spots with nine after a 42-7 loss to Georgia, and No. 20 Ohio State (6-3).

The bottom five is No. 21 LSU, No. 22 Missouri, No. 23 Arizona (7-2), No. 24 Boise State (8-1) and No. 25 Oklahoma State (6-3).