Here is Exactly How the LSU Tigers Can Win the SEC Championship

Can Lane Kiffin lead the Tigers to an SEC championship in his first season on the sidelines?

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The LSU Tigers football program is gearing up for one of its most anticipated seasons in program history. The hiring of head coach Lane Kiffin has jolted the energy around the fan base and the university.

Expectations are always going to be high in Baton Rouge, but that feels like something Kiffin has always felt at every stop in his coaching career. Winning is what matters, and for the Tigers, the time to get back to that is now.

While the ultimate goal is winning the College Football Playoff, earning an SEC championship along the way is nearly on the same level of difficulty. The last time the Tigers owned the SEC crown was in 2019. Winning the SEC may be harder than winning the CFP. So, can Kiffin rule the conference in his first season with the Tigers?

Here's how the new head coach can secure an SEC title

Take Care Of Business

Nov 29, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Louisiana State Tigers running back Harlem Berry (22) is tackled by Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kendal Daniels (5) during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

A lot has changed in the world of college football. The biggest example may be the expansion of the CFP. Many are wondering if expanding the playoff means regular-season games will mean less moving forward. That's simply not going to be the case in the SEC.

If Kiffin and his program want any shot at the SEC Championship Game, they have to take care of business in the regular season. That means being on top of your game and not slipping in games against the Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

On paper, those are games the Tigers should be favored in. So they need to act like they are the favorites in those games.

When The Going Gets Tough

Trace Adkins, country music singer, sings the national anthem during the first round of the College Football Playoff against Tulane at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the SEC grows, getting out of the regular season unscathed feels almost impossible. There may be some slip-ups from the Tigers in Kiffin's first season. However, the team has to find a way to secure at least two of its major conference matchups.

The game that will be circled this season is obviously the early trip to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Then there are the games of titans where the Tigers face the Texas A&M Aggies, the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Texas Longhorns, and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Winning all those games would be a dream come true. Realistically, the Tigers are going to need at least three wins from that group if they want to compete in the SEC Championship Game.

The road isn't going to be easy, and it never will be. However, there was a time this program stayed in the conversation of being a real threat to the SEC crown. Maybe those conversations start again this season.

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