National Analyst Reveals Why LSU Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish Are 'Hated'

The Lane Kiffin era is off to a strong start in Baton Rouge with the LSU Tigers remaining in the spotlight amid a pivotal offseason for the program.

Once Kiffin arrived in the Bayou State, the primary focus was reconstructing the roster where the coaching staff knocked it out of the park after assembling an all-time great Transfer Portal Class.

"I think talent-wise, probably is. A lot of that too is also the numbers," Kiffin said when asked if the portal haul is the best ever. "The volume helps when I make that statement. I think, over time, in general, volume's gone up because as the system evolved.

"It's really created a system that makes players go in and like I said in the beginning, when it was first created, at least now there's only one window. You basically had created a system that was two times a year as a player, so I don't blame them."

But with Kiffin at the helm of the program, there will be harsh critics keeping tabs on the purple and gold in hopes of the LSU Tigers failing under his watch.

LSU has been tabbed as one of the "most hated" programs in America - both with or without Kiffin - with college football analyst Josh Pate revealing his reasoning behind why this has routinely been the case.

“I’m not saying LSU was universally beloved before Lane Kiffin stepped on campus, … and then Lane Kiffin walks in the door and white-hot heat, like true vintage late-90s pro wrestling-type heel heat," Pate said on Sunday.

"So I’ve got LSU at No. 4 but they could rocket to No. 1 at any given moment here.”

LSU Tigers Football. — Courtesy of Jackson Williams on Instagram.

Pate ranked the eight "most hated" programs:

No. 1: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
No. 2: Alabama Crimson Tide
No. 3: Texas Longhorns
No. 4: LSU Tigers
No. 5: Miami Hurricanes
No. 6: USC Trojans
No. 7: Michigan Wolverines
No. 8: Ohio State Buckeyes

Now, heading into a critical season across the college football landscape, all eyes will be on the myriad of powerhouse programs looking to silence the haters and make a statement in the College Football Playoff.

More LSU News:

LSU Football, Ohio State Buckeyes, USC Trojans Among Top Schools for No. 4 Rated WR

LSU Football Predicted to Land Commitment From Elite Louisiana Running Back

Paul Finebaum Reveals Bold Statement on LSU Football's Lane Kiffin Amid Major Move

Join the Community:

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