Brian Kelly Predicts Every Game on LSU's 2026 Schedule

The LSU Tigers are about to begin the first season under new head coach Lane Kiffin in just a few weeks time.

With such an eventful offseason, it seems like ages ago that LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly with four games left in the 2025 campaign. Since then, LSU has rebuilt its coaching staff and roster in hopes of getting the program back to the championship-level standards that it had been failing to reach the past couple of years.

As for Kelly, he's embarked on a new career path of his own, joining CBS Sports as both a studio analyst and color commentator for the upcoming season. This has allowed him to share some detailed thoughts on other teams around the country, including how his former LSU squad will do during the 2026 season.

Brian Kelly's Win-Loss Prediction for LSU

LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In an appearance with CBS Sports, Kelly shared his game-by-game prediction for LSU's 2026 season, something that will certainly catch the attention of Tiger fans considering he was fired by the program less than a year ago.

Let's face it: Kelly probably feels a bit awkward talking about LSU after his firing in November, but that's the kind of stuff he signed up for by choosing to be a college football analyst.

Kelly starts off by saying that quarterback Sam Leavitt will be a bit rusty in the opener against Clemson but predicts that LSU will come away with the win. However, he had LSU losing to Ole Miss in Week 3.

Some fans might expect Kelly to take the pessimistic route when predicting the rest of the schedule, but he instead displays confidence in what Kiffin can do in Year 1.

Kelly's final prediction? A 10-2 record for LSU and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Here's how he has it all playing out:

vs. Clemson - W

vs. LA Tech - W

at Ole Miss - L

vs. Texas A&M - W

vs. McNeese State - W

at Kentucky - W

vs. Mississippi State - W

at Auburn - W

vs. Alabama - W

vs. Texas - L

at Tennessee - W

Here's a look at the full video:

How will @LSUfootball perform in its first season under Lane Kiffin?@CoachBrianKelly gives his game-by-game predictions for the Tigers 👀 pic.twitter.com/dEnRxiLZSu
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 10, 2026

Sharing his final thoughts, Kelly admitted he thinks LSU's defense is better than the offense, but still has confidence in what Kiffin and new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis can do.

"I think they're better on defense," Kelly said of LSU. "Lane's done a great job in the portal. And then offensively, Lane and Charlie Weis will have that offense running quite well. They're like every other team, they got to keep their quarterback healthy. If their quarterback's healthy, then they're going to be minimally a 10-2 team."

Time will tell how Kelly's prediction plays out for LSU.

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