Time to Hit the Panic Button at LSU?
It’s hard to believe that just six years ago, LSU had one of college football’s greatest teams assembled under the helm of head coach Ed Orgeron. Fast forward to today, three and a half years into the subpar Brian Kelly era, where many Tiger fans would kill to have Coach O back in the bayou, given how pedestrian this program has been since 2022. Now, LSU hasn’t been a bad team by any means under Kelly, as they’ve finished each season with at least nine wins, despite failing to show up in the big games, and no, winning three meaningless bowl games isn't considered “big”. Each year with Kelly as their head coach has always resulted in one or two bad losses to a good opponent, where LSU makes them look beatable, but somehow crumbles in the end.
Take last year, for example, when LSU went to College Station to take on Texas A&M, and after keeping it close for three quarters, fell apart in the fourth quarter, allowing A&M to score 10 unanswered and win the game 38-23. While playing in the SEC is tough, no matter the opponent, one would think Brian Kelly of all people would have his teams ready to play against anyone, whether that be a night game at Kyle Field or a noon kickoff in Nashville. Looking ahead to this season, LSU is sitting at a record of 5-2, with both of their losses being on the road and within one possession, something that has been a recurring theme in the Kelly era. Aside from the lack of preparedness and sloppiness in big games, it is evident that Brian Kelly lacks professionalism, which is a major no-no when in college football’s most prestigious conference.
Given the standard that this program and the Southeastern conference hold themselves to, LSU has to explore other options of head coaches who can get it done in the clutch, and with some of the coaches who are available, they should highly consider some of them. Three of the Tigers’ next games are against ranked opponents, with two of those being away games at Alabama and Oklahoma, two tough places to play. It's possible this year's LSU squad will shut up the critics about constantly falling short, but given their track record, who knows how prepared Brian Kelly will have his guys? So, while some may say it's too early to can Kelly, it may inevitably be the answer if we see less than nine wins by the end of the year.
