Four reasons why LSU football can still make the College Football Playoff

Nothing is better for a football team's soul than a good ol' fashioned shutout over a conference rival, and that's exactly what LSU football did to Mississippi State Saturday morning in Tiger Stadium.

Thanks to some carnage across the college football landscape, and LSU's first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2007, the Tigers' aspirations for playing into December and January feel a lot brighter than they did a week ago in Lexington. Here's why LSU shouldn't be written off just yet.

Sam Leavitt's Ascent

Leavitt had his best game as a Tiger, going 31-38 for 289 yards, four touchdowns and, most importantly, no turnovers. For the first time all season, Leavitt went an entire game without a turnover, and unsurprisingly, the passing game looked its best in 2026. Even more encouragingly, Leavitt strung together two nice outings in a row. Even with the fumble and interception last week in the 35-34 loss to Kentucky, Leavitt still completed 74 percent of his passes. Lane Kiffin might have said it in jest, but Leavitt's hamstring injury really has forced him to trust his arm more, and he's showing why he was the No. 1 player in the portal last offseason.

Jackson Harris' Emergence

When Trey'Dez Green went down, the question was who would emerge as the go-to option in the passing game. Harris has answered that in spades. Saturday against Mississippi State, Harris caught all six passes thrown his way for 85 yards and found the end zone two more times, to give him a team-leading five receiving touchdowns. Winnie Watkins may have the most receptions through seven games, but Harris has more yards, averages more yards per catch, and has scored five touchdowns. Even more importantly, Harris and his 6'2" frame give LSU the bigger-bodied receiver on the outside it so desperately needs, especially with Green missing the past four games.

Reinforcements (Should) Be On the Way

Injuries have not been kind to LSU through these first seven weeks of the season. DaShawn Spears and Phillip Wright have been lost for the season; Trey'Dez Green and Whit Weeks have missed multiple weeks; even the Mississippi State win took its toll with Princewill Umanmielen leaving in the first half due to a head injury, Jackson Harris hurt his right ankle, and Lamar Brown had his helmet and pads taken after spending time with the training staff.

The good news is Umanmielen said to teammates he was okay, and the LSU radio broadcast also seemed to indicate that Jackson Harris was fine as well. Even better for LSU is Green and Weeks ought to be nearing returns as well. The hope for both No. 7s was being back by the Alabama game on November 7. If LSU can survive a road trip to Auburn next week, they'll have the bye week to hopefully get one (or both) of their 7s back on the field.

The Remaining Schedule Doesn't Look Nearly as Intimidating

When the 2026 schedules were released, all eyes were drawn to LSU drawing home games against Alabama and Texas in back-to-back weeks, and many thought LSU's best case was splitting those two games. But that was before the Horns and Tide had each dropped consecutive games. Texas lost the Red River Rivalry to Oklahoma and followed that up with a home loss to Florida; Alabama lost at home to Georgia and then lost to Tennessee. There's still a long way to go, of course, but getting the Tide and Longhorns at home suddenly feels like an opportunity.

Then there's the matter of LSU's remaining road games: Auburn this upcoming weekend, and then trips to Tennessee and Arkansas to close out the regular season. To be clear: LSU has to show they can win away from Tiger Stadium before we just assume they'll sweep the Tigers, Vols, and Razorbacks, but on paper they'll have the advantage at quarterback and at head coach in those three games.

It starts this week. Jordan Hare will likely be a madhouse this week after Auburn's epic win over No. 1 Georgia, but the other Tigers could be in for an emotional letdown. If LSU can survive Auburn, then everything is back on the table ahead of a crucial month of November.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Four reasons why LSU football can still make the College Football Playoff