LSU had a rough season last year. Even though they had Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels, their defense couldn’t stop anyone, and they lost three games because of it, wasting a perfect offense.
Now Daniels is in the NFL, and the Tigers look to be starting Garrett Nussmeier at the quarterback spot this season, so he will have some shoes to fill. However, the good news is LSU can take a few losses this season and still make the playoffs with the new 12-team format, and CBS Sports released their 2024 SEC Win Totals and has LSU winning ten games.
LSU Will Drop Two Major Games
In Will Backus’s 2024 SEC win totals, odds, and picks, Georgia eyes perfection, and Texas is poised to make a strong first impression. He has LSU winning over their 9.5 project wins and only having them lose to Ole Miss and Alabama.
The good news is that he has the Tigers beating nonconference opponent USC in the first game of the year. That could be like a mini-postseason game. If both teams are fighting for a spot at the end, LSU would have the head-to-head win over them, but here is what Backus had to say about LSU’s win total this season.
LSU’s nonconference schedule is incredibly intriguing. The Tigers play both Los Angeles-based Big Ten teams and yet don’t have to travel to California for either game. They have seven home games, and their four true road contests are against SEC teams that went a combined 11-21 in conference play last season. The Tigers even get Alabama at home. A 10-win regular season would be progress for Brian Kelly, though LSU’s CFP fate may be out of their hands in that event. Pick: Over 9.5 (+130)
If the Tigers drop only two games this season and they aren’t to any bad teams, they could be sitting in one of the last playoff spots if there are only two losses; come to Alabama and Ole Miss, who will both likely be playoff teams that could help LSU’s resume and maybe sneak them into the 10th or 11th spot.
