Lane Kiffin hasn’t even coached a game at LSU yet, and the pressure is already cranked to max. ESPN college football analyst Dusty Dvoracek didn’t mince words on Sirius XM this week when he laid out what happens if the Tigers don’t make the College Football Playoff in Kiffin’s first season.
“If they don’t make the College Football Playoff this year, people are going to be freaking out,” Dvoracek said. “Book it. I promise you, there will be LSU fans that are outraged if they don’t make the playoff. And Lane Kiffin is going to be wildly scrutinized, not just by LSU fans, a lot of people in the media are going to criticize him as well.”
That’s a lot of heat for a coach who just walked into the building. But Dvoracek wasn’t done. He framed this as the natural consequence of how Kiffin got to Baton Rouge in the first place — leaving Ole Miss in a messy breakup, the huge price tag on the roster, and the sheer profile of the LSU job. Dvoracek made it clear that Kiffin doesn’t necessarily need to win a playoff game or even win the SEC. Just getting there is the baseline.
“He doesn’t have to win it. He doesn’t have to win a playoff game. I think he’s got to get to the playoffs, or else, he’s not getting fired, that’s not even a question, but you will hear, I think, a lot of animosity from the LSU fan base if they’re not in the college football playoff this season.”
The Roster Looks Real, but So Does the Schedule
Kiffin didn’t waste time in the transfer portal. He brought in quarterback Sam Leavitt from Arizona State, a potential 2027 NFL Draft prospect, and the early buzz is that LSU’s offense could be one of the most explosive in the SEC. Returning linebacker Whit Weeks anchors a defense that should be physical enough to keep games close. On paper, this team looks dangerous.
But the SEC is a meat grinder, and the schedule doesn’t let up. Kiffin’s track record at Ole Miss was solid — he won 10 games twice and built a program that could beat anyone on the right day. But LSU fans don’t want “solid.” They want a return to the national stage they had under Ed Orgeron in 2019. And they want it now.
The reality is that LSU’s fan base has been waiting for a sense of stability since Orgeron’s run fizzled. Brian Kelly never fully won them over. The same energy that made Kiffin’s hire feel like a coup also makes his margin for error razor thin. He’s a coach who thrives on chaos and attention — and he’s about to get both in spades.
Whether LSU makes the playoff or not, the conversation around Kiffin will be loud. That’s the deal he signed up for.
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