LSU’s 6-2 start tests contender credentials

Lane Kiffin’s LSU team is 6-2 through eight games, pairing a high-output offense with defensive numbers that are better than Brian Kelly’s four-season averages in every category cited by And The Valley Shook. The question now is whether those gains hold against Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas.

LSU is averaging 510.0 yards and 40.1 points per game while allowing 258.1 yards and 16.0 points. Under Kelly, the averages were 440.4 yards and 33.3 points on offense, with 366.1 yards and 23.7 points allowed.

The split remains clear in both phases. Kiffin’s Tigers are averaging 318.0 passing yards and 192.0 rushing yards, compared with Kelly averages of 288.2 and 152.2. On defense, the previous averages of 222.7 passing yards and 143.4 rushing yards allowed have fallen to 172.8 and 85.4.

Those figures come with two cautions. They cover only eight games, and LSU still must play four conference opponents. Kiffin’s team also faces a nine-game SEC schedule, something Kelly did not encounter during his LSU tenure.

Kelly also had 6-2 LSU teams. His 2022 group beat Ole Miss 45-20, then defeated Alabama 32-31 in overtime when Jayden Daniels found Mason Taylor for the winning two-point conversion. LSU later lost at Texas A&M and to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Kelly’s 2024 team followed its opening loss to USC with six consecutive wins, then lost three straight to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. In 2025, LSU opened with a 17-10 win at Clemson but later lost to Kiffin’s Ole Miss. A 49-25 defeat against Texas A&M followed before Kelly was removed.

Kiffin’s first eight games have produced stronger statistical balance than Kelly’s average season at LSU. LSU must now pursue a playoff berth against Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas after missing the playoff throughout Kelly’s tenure.

Why it matters

LSU’s production and defensive efficiency have moved in the right direction through eight games. A four-game closing stretch against Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas will test whether the Tigers can reach the playoff after Kelly never did.

What to watch next

LSU plays Alabama on Saturday, the first of four remaining games listed by the source.