> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.redeyebr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# LSU's ranked gauntlet
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/lsus-ranked-gauntlet/
- Published: 2026-08-07T02:29:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T02:29:27.000Z
- Description: Let's admit it, the Tiger football team faces a brutal schedule this season. Good luck thinking that will temper expectations.
- Author: JR Ball

LSU will face **six teams ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll Top 25**, including four fellow SEC programs ranked ahead of the No. 13 Tigers.

**Why it matters:** Anticipation is massive for Lane Kiffin’s first LSU team and its $50 million roster, but the Tigers face a brutal schedule, leaving little margin for error to meet the expectation of reaching the College Football Playoff.

**Details:** Getting off to a fast start—and losing no more than once in September—is crucial because November will be particularly grueling for Kiffin’s team. LSU faces Alabama (11), Texas (4) and Tennessee (18) in consecutive weeks before closing the regular season at Arkansas.

- September is no cakewalk. LSU opens Sept. 5 against Clemson (23), then closes the month with a much-anticipated trip to Ole Miss (10) and a home game against Texas A&M (8).
- Brutal truth: The Tigers must go undefeated in October when they face McNeese State, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn.

**What** [***The Athletic***](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7491651/2026/08/04/college-football-top-25-preseason-coaches-poll-indiana/?unlocked%5Farticle%5Fcode=1.3VA.o2UY.IIf4RMOZngcT&source=athletic%5Fuser%5Fshared%5Fgift%5Farticle%5Fcopylink&smid=url-share-ta) **says about LSU:** The Tigers are included in its **“Who’s overrated?”** section: “Landing Kiffin was a coup for the Bayou Bengals, but it’s a stretch to see them debut at No. 13 after a 7-6 season with a new coach, a new quarterback in Sam Leavitt and a ton of defensive losses. That said, if LSU is unbeaten entering October, it rightly will be in the top five.”