The Ole Miss game is the biggest game of Brian Kelly’s tenure at LSU

The LSU Tigers have a perfectly timed bye week this weekend before hosting the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium. Defeats on both sides of this matchup earlier in the season have taken some of the shine off this matchup as most people expected both teams to go into this matchup undefeated.

However, losses earlier in the season have made this game even more exciting, as a loss for both teams could put the nail in their College Football Playoff coffins. The game could be even more compelling after this weekend as Ole Miss takes on South Carolina, which crushed the Kentucky team that Ole Miss just lost to.

It’s hard to say it’s a must-win game because we really have no control over what happens or doesn’t happen to a coach, but for Brian Kelly it feels like a must-win game.

An LSU loss would all but eliminate the Tigers from contention for the College Football Playoff, barring complete disaster for the nation’s best teams. It would also hand Brian Kelly his second loss of the year, losing to another team at the LSU level.

When Brian Kelly was brought in from Notre Dame, he was expected to compete in national championships and win SEC championships. A loss would mean LSU would be 0-3 making the playoffs under Brian Kelly’s tenure.

In Ed Orgeron’s third year, LSU finished 10-3 and ranked in the top ten of both the AP and Coaches polls. In Les Miles’ third year, he won the College Football National Championship with a record of 12-2.

However, a win would catapult LSU right into the thick of things when it comes to an SEC title and a College Football Playoff bid. The Tigers are currently ranked 13th in the AP poll and a win would move them up at least one spot, while Ole Miss is ranked 12th.

This weekend, Texas and Oklahoma, Ohio State and Oregon, Penn State and USC and a host of other top teams will play games that could decide the College Football Playoff race. With several LSU teams certain to be eliminated, a win would not only move them to the top of the race, but also solidify LSU as a playoff contender.

This isn’t exactly a team like Alabama, Georgia or Tennessee that LSU is going against, as Ole Miss has shown some cracks. When the Rebels are forced to repel attacks instead of scoring quickly, this offense struggles. Defensively, Ole Miss’ transfers struggled in coverage on the back end and were able to be exploited.

Given the stakes of this game, LSU will have a ton of recruits on hand to pursue this game, including some of LSU’s biggest targets and some of its biggest commitments. The fan base was already outraged that the season opener was once again awarded to USC. If LSU forfeits this game, there will be a long offseason discussion about whether or not Brian Kelly is the man for the job, which is bad for everyone involved.

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