LSU Football, Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers Headline Latest CFP Projections

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have reached the midway point of the 2025 season after capturing a Week 7 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night.

No. 10 LSU moved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play with the win where the Bayou Bengals remain at the forefront of the College Football Playoff discussion.

The Tigers will hit the road to Nashville (Tenn.) in Week 8 for a showdown against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium with all eyes set to be on the Top-25 clash.

"I was pleased with some things that we did that we have not been doing. We ran the ball with more effectiveness and got the ball to Trey’Dez Green," Kelly said. "I was pleased about that.”

“But, certainly, you can’t get down on the one-yard line three times and come up with three points. And I think we all know that. But what I loved was our compete. I loved the way our guys competed for four quarters; our fans stayed in there with us."

After reaching the midway point of the 2025 season, ESPN has revealed the network's College Football Playoff projections. Where did the Bayou Bengals land?

ESPN College Football Playoff Bracket Projection

The Projected First-Round Byes

No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 2 Miami (ACC champ)
No. 3 Indiana
No. 4 Texas A&M (SEC champ)

First-Round Matchups

No. 12 South Florida (American champ) at No. 5 Alabama
No. 11 LSU at No. 6 Ole Miss
No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 7 Georgia
No. 9 Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at No. 8 Oregon

Quarterfinal Matchups

No. 12 South Florida/No. 5 Alabama winner vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
No. 11 LSU/No. 6 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Indiana
No. 10 Oklahoma/No. 7 Georgia winner vs. No. 2 Miami
No. 9 Texas Tech/No. 8 Oregon winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State

Brian Kelly's Take: Continue Taking it One Week at a Time

"What I loved was our compete. I love the way our guys competed for four quarters. Our fans stayed in there with us. It is what it is — find a way to win. And [Saturday], we found a way to win even though we had some mistakes out there that could, at times, be catastrophic.

"We’ll have to eliminate those. But the bottom line is, I love the way the kids competed [Saturday].”

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.