LSU HC Lane Kiffin hit with CFP or bust warning from ESPN analyst appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LSU football was one of the most talked-about programs this offseason, in large part because they stole Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to replace Brian Kelly as head coach. Kiffin has a great track record of success from his time at Ole Miss and even before that, but that success also comes with pressure.
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While it may be difficult for Kiffin to hit the ground running with LSU, the fans in Baton Rouge won’t have any sympathy for him. ESPN college football analyst Dusty Dvoracek spoke on Siruis XM recently about the expectations for Kiffin entering year one and the ramifications if those expectations are not met, via On3 Sports.
“If they don’t make the College Football Playoff this year, people are going to be freaking out,” Dvoracek said. “Book it. I promise you, there will be LSU fans that are outraged if they don’t make the playoff. And Lane Kiffin is going to be wildly scrutinized, not just by LSU fans, a lot of people in the media are going to criticize him as well. This is the nature of the business, a place like LSU, and how high profile this entire thing was with him leaving Ole Miss, everything that went down with that, and the price tag of this roster, all of it, all of it.
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“The expectation is to go make the playoffs. He doesn’t have to win it. He doesn’t have to win a playoff game. I think he’s got to get to the playoffs, or else, he’s not getting fired, that’s not even a question, but you will hear, I think, a lot of animosity from the LSU fan base if they’re not in the college football playoff this season.”
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Kiffin brought in star quarterback Sam Leavitt from Arizona State in the transfer portal, and the potential 2027 NFL Draft prospect is expected to lead one of the most potent offenses in the SEC. That, along with a defense led by returning star linebacker Whit Weeks, should make the Tigers a tough team to beat in Kiffin’s first season in 2026.
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