LSU Appears Headed To Another Season Without Playoffs After 31-24 Loss At Vanderbilt

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

The LSU football program and $10 million-a-year coach Brian Kelly are apparently headed for another postseason void of the College Football Playoff.

The No. 10 Tigers finally played complementary football Saturday, but not in a good way. The defense couldn’t stop Vanderbilt, and the offense couldn’t score when it really needed to. And LSU fell, 31-24, to the No. 17 Commodores in front of 40,000 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.

If LSU can’t navigate Vanderbilt’s Hot Tub Time Machine today, it could find itself in the Twilight Zone for the rest of this season: https://t.co/1VnDSs9lVL

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 18, 2025

LSU falls to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference with the most difficult part of its schedule yet to come, and the Tigers are likely already out of wriggle room for the CFP.

LSU hosts No. 4 Texas A&M (6-0) on Saturday night, then after an open date plays at No. 6 Alabama (5-1) on Nov. 8 before playing at No. 14 Oklahoma (5-1) in the regular season finale on Nov. 29.

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Kelly came into this season with no playoff appearances in three seasons despite his salary, which seemed to promise a national championship soon. Instead, Kelly is yet to enter the latter stages of a season with even a chance at the playoffs. LSU’s last playoff appearance was in the 2019 season when it won the national title under coach Ed Orgeron, who was let go during the 2021 season.

Vanderbilt broke a 10-game losing streak against LSU, winning for the first time since 1990 when the Commodores won 24-21 in Nashville before finishing 1-10. It was just the Commodores’ second win over LSU since 1957. LSU leads the series, 26-8-1.

LSU’s defense allowed 400 yards to the Commodores (6-1, 2-1 SEC). Quarterback Diego Pavia rushed 17 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns, usually on scrambles, including a 21-yard TD jaunt for a 31-21 lead with 27 seconds to go in the third quarter. He also completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards.

But LSU’s defense, playing without injured starting linebacker Whit Weeks (ankle) and defensive tackle Bernard Gooden (collarbone), finally stopped two Vanderbilt drives in the fourth quarter after the Tigers had cut the lead to 31-24. But LSU and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier could not generate any more offense in the final period.

Nussmeier finished 19-of-28 passing for 225 yards with two touchdowns.

LSU trailed 17-13 at the half as Brock Taylor kicked a 46-yard field goal with :02 remaining. Damian Ramos had just got the Tigers within 14-13 on his 42-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the half. But LSU again could not stop Pavia, who completed 25- and 16-yard passes and scrambled for a 9-yard gain in a seven-play drive of 50 yards to get in field goal range.

Nussmeier played well in the first half, completing 13 of 18 passes for 118 yards with a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trey’Dez Green for a 10-7 lead with 14:50 to go in the second quarter. But The Tigers would never lead again.