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re: Does anyone think 2025 has potential to be a National Championship year?

Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:27 am to
Posted by SouthernInsanity
Shadows of Death Valley
Member since Nov 2012
25546 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:27 am to
quote:

Is Brian Kelly still coaching the team?

If so, no natty


^^^^ this guy will not be watching any LSU football.
Posted by Ponchy Tiger
Ponchatoula
Member since Aug 2004
48799 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:30 am to
Honestly, my gut tells me no. As much as it pains me to say I have serious questions about our coaching on the offensive line
Posted by Slim
Poplarville, Mississippi
Member since Sep 2006
2984 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:38 am to
If you are talking about football, no. If you are talking about either baseball or women’s basketball yes. kelly has failed in his prediction to make the playoffs in year 3 of his tenure, what makes anyone think he will win a national championship?
This post was edited on 2/21/25 at 8:45 am
Posted by yadaddy
Member since Feb 2023
51 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:42 am to
I have high hopes but a championship seems a little far fetched imo. We would have to be extremely gelled on offense to pull that off with the lack of clear NFL talent at any given offensive skill position outside of QB.

That's not to say we don't have dudes... but look at the recent champions who were all elite at the skill positions paired with a stellar defense.

Ohio State 2024: Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Treyveon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins.

Michigan 2023: Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, Roman Wilson, and Colston Loveland (Mid-Skill)

Georgia 2022: Kendall Milton, Kenny McIntosh, Darnell Washington (Mid-Skill), AD Mitchell, Rosemy-Jacksaint

Georgia 2021: All the same guys from above but add James Cook, Zamir White, George Pickens and Germaine Burton

Alabama 2020: Devonta Smith, John Metchie, Jaylen Waddle, Najee Harris, Brian Robinson,

LSU 2020: goes without saying


Point is, when I look at this team we'd have to have extremely high hopes of a freshman/sophomore running backfield and we'd need largely unproven guys with really high ceilings to break out at the receiver position, which is doable with a guy like Nuss leading the charge, but still tough to genuinely expect. And you still have to have an elite defense to pair all that with... Playoffs are the expectation. Natty is lagniappe. Let's Ride
This post was edited on 2/21/25 at 8:44 am
Posted by Tdubs7
Member since Aug 2024
628 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:42 am to
Yes, if Les and O can win the Natty with talent-rich rosters, Kelly can do the same this year.
Posted by redfish99
B.R.
Member since Aug 2007
18698 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:44 am to
Just get in the tourney. Then figure it out.
Posted by NotaStarGazer
Member since Dec 2023
2667 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:53 am to
quote:

To even have a shot in the dark LSU has to be able to run the ball much better. With Nuss not eager to run at all, LSU has to have a better than average run game, you can't win week after week throwing the ball 50 times.
And the defense has to be significantly better which is a big question mark.

Perfect answer! The new OL has to RUN block a lot better than the previous OL. And on defense, if you can't stop running QBs in the SEC, you are going to lose multiple games. Running QBs from Alabama and A&M beat LSU almost singlehandedly. And if Sellars played the 2nd half for S Carolina, LSU would have lost that game also. Someone earlier said LSU had "elite defensive coaching". Elite defensive coaching should be able to at least slow down QBs not known for passing but known for running.

JimTiger72 wrote:
quote:

They made upgrades at every position on defense

IMO, LSU should be better at every unit on the team..with one incomplete. QB, RB, WR, TE (due to depth), DL, LB, and secondary. The one area that may be better, worse, or the same is the OL.
This post was edited on 2/21/25 at 8:57 am
Posted by TopWaterTiger
Lake Charles, LA
Member since May 2006
12014 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:54 am to
quote:

If ole Les and the Shrimp Boat Captain can win a championship here, then BK can certainly win one. This is his year if he is going to win one though.


Agree, although one could argue his missed his shot w JD5. A competent defense by LSU standards and that team goes the distance.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
42428 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:56 am to
quote:

Does anyone think 2025 has potential to be a National Championship year?



The answer should be yes, anyone who says otherwise has some inherent bias somewhere. That is not to say LSU will win a Natty, only that this team has that potential, which is your question.

Is it likely? The answer is probably no, but I would say it is currently no for virtually every team. Ask me again 8 games into the season.
Posted by NotaStarGazer
Member since Dec 2023
2667 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 8:59 am to
Your answer is my answer...spot on!
Posted by chimesstreet
Bucks County, PA
Member since Jan 2008
1811 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:04 am to
I'm a college football fan. (Though you could insert any college sport there, I think all would apply.) I always think my team is a National Championship contender - in the off season, and during the season until it becomes mathematically impossible. I don't need facts, stats, player rankings, coaching experience, or anything else to back up my belief.

I'm a college football fan and my team is 100% winning it all next year.

That's the beauty of the off season. Every team is a contender.
Posted by Skillet
Member since Aug 2006
113214 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:18 am to
Seems we have all the right pieces to make the final 12. But we’ll most likely start out with a loss to Clemson making it more difficult to be in that group.

Really depends on how Brian Kelly “fixes” things after the loss.
Posted by sunnydaze
Member since Jan 2010
32516 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:44 am to
Not good enough in the secondary
Posted by nitwit
Member since Oct 2007
13058 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:47 am to
I think we will have a much better team, but there are a lot of new components and folks will be trying to mesh for the first time.
My biggest coaching concern is not Kelly.
It is Sloan.
Posted by Alt26
Member since Mar 2010
34096 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:48 am to
quote:

If you are talking about football, no. If you are talking about either baseball or women’s basketball yes. kelly has failed in his prediction to make the playoffs in year 3 of his tenure, what makes anyone think he will win a national championship?


You guys at like "year 3" was some hard and fast deadline he HAD to meet. And it was made at a time the sport was just changing into a completely new year. Last was never going to be a NC season. That was very evident from the beginning with so many new, unproven, pieces. New QB, entirely new defensive staff, etc.

Kelly blew what should have been a championship (or at least a CFP) season in 2023 with the best QB he will ever coach. House's defense carried a lot of the water in 2022. NO ONE could have expected it would fall off so dramatically in 2023.

This year LSU, once again, has a veteran QB. That has been the commonality in all of LSU's championship seasons. And Nussmeier probably had the best first season as a starter than any of the other great QBs. I think the biggest thing is that BK learned from 2023. He's not going to run a defense out there with younger, unproven, HS recruits and marginal transfers like he did in 2023. He went and signed productive starters from other schools. I'm not going to go out on a limb and say this defense is going to be dominant. But I'm pretty confident its going to be MUCH better than 2023.

You also have to look at the variables in play outside of LSU. In the SEC alone Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, Georgia, will all have new starting QBs. Outside of the SEC, Ohio St is going to have to replace at ton of talent and a DC. Notre Dame will have a new QB, as will Oregon. I think you can make a strong argument LSU has the best returning QB in the nation. Nuss has the second best Heisman odds, only behind Manning who, let's face it, is that high ONLY because of his last name. Finanlly, one thing that isn't talked about is LSU may have the best kick return game in the nation. Brown the SEC CAREER leading KO return TDs and Zavion Thomas was a top 2 KO returner last season.

IMO, the season will rest largely on Joe Sloan. The offense wasn't bad by any means last season. But I think the approach and play-calling failed to fully take advantage of the potential it had. The OL will be a concern, but LSU is should have some weapons at WR and TE (if used correctly). They have capable guys at RB...who were grossly misused last season in a terrible run-game approach. IF Sloan can evolve, this is a contender.
Posted by GatorDog
Member since Feb 2024
16 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:55 am to
Well, if they don't it will be Kelly's last year!!
Posted by LSUfonte
South Texas
Member since Jan 2004
8257 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 9:57 am to
No. BK is the head coach, Sloan is still calling plays and O-line can’t run block.
Posted by DrD
Houston
Member since Jan 2010
2754 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 10:11 am to
Tigers beat Clemson (both teams will probably be ranked in top10 per-season) we should immediately bolt into top 4-5 nationally. That would be a great trend setter and start to open up season. Potential? YES! Let it happen. Geaux Tigers!
Posted by paulb52
Member since Dec 2019
7338 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 10:13 am to
No, because they have playoffs now. If they don’t make the playoff field it’s impossible to win a natty.
Posted by Ace Midnight
Between sanity and madness
Member since Dec 2006
94742 posts
Posted on 2/21/25 at 10:17 am to
I think 3 things will be required:

1. The receivers will have to be completely in sync with Nuss right away

2. The running game has to improve to a level of solid and reliable, if not spectacular

3. The defense has to improve as much (or more) from 2024 to 2025 as they did from 2023 to 2024


And that's a tall order. However, if all 3 happen, the team will be very difficult to beat. (Implicitly the OL has to pass block as well as 2024).
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