LSU squandered its College Football Playoff hopes in multiple ways against Alabama. Here's how it all unfolded.
The stakes were clear heading into Saturday's matchup.
The winner would gain a significant edge in the race for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, while the loser would see their playoff hopes all but dashed.
LSU ended up on the wrong side of that equation, suffering a 42-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium. Ranked No. 15 in the initial CFP standings, the Tigers are now likely to fall further down the rankings after the blowout defeat.
The stakes were clear heading into Saturday's matchup.
The winner would gain a significant edge in the race for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, while the loser would see their playoff hopes all but dashed.
LSU ended up on the wrong side of that equation, suffering a 42-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium. Ranked No. 15 in the initial CFP standings, the Tigers are now likely to fall further down the rankings after the blowout defeat.
Earlier in the afternoon, undefeated Miami also suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes had been ranked No. 4 in the committee's standings heading into the weekend.
With their loss, SMU now sits atop the standings as the ACC's only unbeaten team in conference play. However, the Mustangs did suffer a defeat to BYU in Week 2.
Meanwhile, the turmoil unfolding in other conferences, like the ACC, could work in the SEC's favor by increasing the likelihood of more SEC teams making the playoff. The back-to-back losses suffered by Iowa State and Pittsburgh—both of whom started the season 8-0—only benefitted the SEC's playoff hopes.
Despite these shifting dynamics, LSU head coach Brian Kelly wasn't focused on the playoff picture or any potential opportunities the Tigers may have missed after their defeat.
"We're disappointed in how we performed... These guys aren't saying, 'We're out of the playoffs,'" Kelly said. "That's not the issue. They're disappointed, and I'm disappointed, because we didn't meet the standards of LSU football."
This week presented a prime opportunity for LSU to position itself for a spot in the 12-team playoff when the new rankings were released on Tuesday. The problem was, the Tigers couldn't take care of business against Alabama.
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