Expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams should, in theory, open the door for several programs that previously struggled to make the postseason. In reality, it will likely just lead to more representation from the SEC and Big Ten.
But that could mean LSU is a beneficiary, and On3’s Andy Staples believes it could be in contention for a CFP bid this season. Staples predicted that five SEC teams would make the playoffsand although he believes that four of those places will be occupied by Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss, believes the Tigers, along with teams like TennesseeMissouri and Oklahomacould also be in dispute.
“Missouri would have done it last year in this system,” Staples said. “Now I don’t know if Missouri is going to be as good this year. We’ll talk a little bit more about the Tigers later. We know their defense needs to be, you know, fixed. I’m not worried about their offense. So they’re a contender. Tennessee has a great schedule. They should be better on offense, they should be as good or better on defense. They have a good situation,” Staples continued. “Oklahoma and LSU are Oklahoma and LSU. Now, yeah, their schedules are a little bit tougher, but these are programs that are always good. Their baseline is good. So, if some things go right, they could be 10-win regular-season teams. They could be in the playoffs. I think it’s possible.”
LSU is still looking for its first CFP appearance under coach Brian KellyBut as the field expanded on the order of three times, that path became much easier.
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