Friday’s release of the media-voted pre-season All-SEC team carries no real weight.
Just 164 members of the credentialed media cast first place votes. There were plenty more than that in Tampa last week which suggests the vote is not taken too seriously. But I spoke to quite a few of my esteemed colleagues about Lane Kiffin and LSU over the week’s time, and the refrain was nearly a consensus.
Almost everyone believes Kiffin is going to win in Baton Rouge.
When Brian Kelly was hired, “bad fit” was tossed around by some. No one could have seen the NIL and portal shift that was coming, and Kelly’s “fit” in Baton Rouge can be debated for eternity. But he didn’t win enough.
Kiffin may or may not. He may stay a decade. He may bolt for the NFL. Some of my conversations centered on how sloppy his inevitable exit will be. But even those who hold that belief still think he’ll win.
The media tabbed nine Tigers as pre-season All-SEC selections. That was tied with Texas who collected the second most votes to win the league. Georgia’s 11 set the pace. Noticeably absent from the picks was Sam Leavitt. Kiffin’s former quarterback Trinidad Chambless was on the team. Arch Manning was the second team pick with Gunnar Stockton rounding out the list.
Leavitt is probably the key to how Kiffin’s first season in Baton Rouge plays out. The media feels like the talent around him and the coach are good enough.
Ultimately, LSU landed fifth in the preseason poll. That projects the Tigers as a bubble team in College Football Playoff terms. That feels right to me.
So many will point to season No. 1 as a barometer for Kiffin’s tenure in Baton Rouge. Perhaps that’s fair to a degree, but it’s also just one season in a sport that turns over a massive percentage of its roster year-over-year. Whether LSU finishes first or ninth in the league in 2026 hardly indicates where things go from there.
I just found it interesting how confident nearly everyone I spoke with was that Kiffin will turn LSU into a force, especially considering how few people actually care for Kiffin after his antics at three schools around the league.
That’s rare.
What the media thinks and what actually happens are two totally separate things. Kiffin’s results will speak for themselves, and that’s going to take time.
Right now, it’s just talkin’ season.
