re: Is this year a bust if we don’t make 12 team playoff?

It would definitely be a disappointment. I'm not sure if I'd say a bust only because we project as a 10-14 team due to a few unprovens, so sort of a bubble team. But my expectation is that we make it in the playoffs.

Yea. I think expectations ( not fire everyone) is make the playoffs every year. Baseball is supers and Omaha. Basketball be competitive with a shot at the tournament.

yall do realize that being ranked in the top 12 doesn't get you a spot in the playoffs right? They will give a spot to all the P4 champs and then the highest ranked G5 team will likely get in. That leaves 7 spots left for at large bids. They aren't gonna let one conference have the majority of playoff spots so you're looking at 3 SEC spots total most years. Maybe a 4th team in particularly strong SEC years but I don't think that will be very often.

So being in it doesn't mean being top 12 nationally. it means finishing top 3 in the league. That means ahead of every year contenders like UGA, Bama, Texas, Oklahoma and being ahead of the once in a while/potential contenders like Florida, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Auburn.

Basically the idea that we will finish top 3 in the SEC every year isn't based in reality and a realistic goal should be to make the playoffs half the time (and even that is being ambitious). If you think we will be in it every year, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

It’s not a bust but it would be disappointing in year 3. We have to remember how bad the roster was decimated under O before BK got here. We are headed in the right direction but still have a talent gap on defense. That’s on BK to fix it but it’s still there. Then we have two brand new coordinators. Baker should be a huge improvement but Sloan hasn’t called plays in a while.

It isn’t going to be as easy to make the playoffs every year like a lot of us think. I think the expectation should be every other year. I do think we could make it this year if the defense takes a big step forward but we haven’t seen them play yet. USC will be huge for us.

There's a lot of optimism on this board. There are good reasons to temper that optimism.

quote:

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We have an elite OL, elite WRs, strong RB room, and a QB that everyone admits would've been a starter at most P4 schools last year.

Our defense, despite coming off a horrific season, is now surrounded by some of the best coaches in the sport.

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We have an elite OL, and that goes a long way.

We have the potential to have elite WRs, but we're not returning much production. The production of all returning WRs is less than either Nabers OR Thomas last year. I do like our potential.

We have the potential to have a strong RB room, but our returning production is about half of Daniels' rushing last year. I do like our potential.

We have a QB that many believe would've been a starter at most P4 schools last year. But he's never had a season over 62% comp, and we're not playing second-tier Big Ten teams every week. I believe he has the potential to be an elite QB, but he has not proven it yet. I do like our potential.

The defense is coming off a horrific season, The coaching staff appears to be vastly improved. The roster does not have nearly the same level of improvement. It's not the X's and the O's but the Jimmys and the Joes.

I'm optimistic. I expect LSU to make the playoffs. It would definitely be a disappointment if LSU does not make the playoffs, but I'm not sure if I'd say a bust because we project as a 10-14 team due to a few unprovens. We are a bubble team. Nevertheless, my expectation is that we make the playoffs.

It’s a bust if we’re not in the Final Four.

YES

No excuses

Yes.
Kelly squandered a chance to improve the program on the defensive side of the ball last year and year before. He appeared passive about this deterioration of the defense and near abandonment of DL development/ recruitment when it was a clear problem.
Now he has to catch up.

Most assuredly