ESPN experts debate how much 'wiggle room' Brian Kelly, LSU have with multiple losses in 2025

LSU, despite the successes they’ve had, is entering a key year with the expectation being for them to contend in the SEC and be in the College Football Playoff. A lot will have to go into that, though, considering what the Tigers will face this fall.

‘Get Up’, with Paul Finebaum, Heather Dinich, and Harry Douglas on this morning, defined what a successful season would look like this year for Louisiana State. Douglas started off in saying the Tigers would need to be in title races both in the conference and nationally, which, to him will require an improvement on defense as well as likely ending what’s currently a five-game losing streak in openers.

“Contending for the SEC Championship and also making the College Football Playoffs,” said Douglas. “Now, what’s pretty alarming with Brian Kelly being the head coach for the LSU Tigers is that they have not won a season-opener since he became the head coach, and it doesn’t look too great this year because they start off with Clemson and Clemson is going to be one of the better teams in the country. Now, something else I want to point out for the LSU Tigers. Defensively, last year, in a two-game span, they gave up 550 yards to Alabama and Texas A&M. Those are teams that run the zone read. They’re going to play a lot of those teams this year so they better get that defense fixed and figure out how to stop the zone read.”

Finebaum would go on to agree with the overall points, namely the requirement to make the playoff and to improve defensively, from Douglas. However, having recently seen the head coach of the Tigers, he does sense some optimism from them coming into this upcoming season.

“Well, he does need to make the playoffs. I was with him a couple weeks ago and he is extremely confident. He must not be paying much attention to what Harry Douglas has to be saying because he has shored up that defense tremendously in the portal. He has recruited well. He’s got things going. But, you’re right about the playoffs,” said Finebaum. “And that losing streak in the openers started three years earlier with Ed Orgeron. But I don’t think that’s the critical game. I’ll leave it to Heather but, because of the opening game, they have a little wiggle room with a third loss.”

Having left it to Dinich, she took more of a look at the upcoming schedule for LSU and how it could get them in or out of the CFP. She sees quality enough opponents where, in her mind, the Tigers could get themselves in even if they were at 9-3. However, in assessing it, Dinich noted at least four games herself that could be defeats, if not more with what to expect this season out of the SEC.

“I agree that they have wiggle room with a third loss. When you look at this schedule, they could have three – at Clemson, I also see at Ole Miss, at Alabama and let’s not overlook the regular-season finale against the Sooners because ESPN’s FPI gives them about a 51%-52% chance to win that game,” said Dinich. “So, again, if they don’t get into the College Football Playoff with three losses, did I mention SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey might lose his mind? Because the SEC owns about 14 of the Top-15 toughest schedules in the country.”

LSU has yet to make it into the CFP, and just once made it into the SEC Championship, under Kelly although having nine or ten wins with just three or four losses in each of his seasons since 2022. That said, with a similar record again or better in 2025, Baton Rouge won’t be the only ones anticipating a playoff berth from the Tigers.