Paul Finebaum Believes Brian Kelly, LSU Football Enter 'Must-Win" Against Texas A&M

Kelly and the Bayou Bengals will look to avoid a second consecutive loss, set to take on No. 3 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Sep 23, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation Roman Harper (left) and Paul Finebaum (right) speak on the sideline during pre-game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers enter "must-win" territory on Saturday night against the Texas A&M Aggies with the program looking to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

With a pair of losses to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt on the resumé already, the Bayou Bengals will look to make a statement a top-five foe this weekend.

“We got to go hit people in the mouth and be much more physical," Kelly said on Thursday. "And if you’re much more physical, you’re going to make up for any of the small mistakes, right? We’ve got to play this game with a different demeanor and a different mindset.”

No. 20 LSU will enter Saturday as underdogs with No. 3 Texas A&M having the edge, according to multiple sportsbooks.

How significant is the matchup against the Aggies for Brian Kelly and the Tigers? Steve Coughlin [Stanford Steve] and Paul Finebaum weighed in.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

"Absolutely. When you look at their schedule, the remaining way, they're going to be underdogs a bunch more times," Coughlin said. "If chalk holds up, I believe they're going to be 7-5. I don't know if Brian Kelly makes it to that.

"They've got road trips to Alabama, they have to go to Oklahoma... and then also, you've got Arkansas in a rivalry game. This is a monster, monster spot for LSU."

Finebaum echoed the same sentiment surrounding Kelly and the Bayou Bengals as the uneasiness ramps up in Baton Rouge.

"I heard it throughout the week. There's always been this difficult dance with Brian Kelly and LSU fans, but this past week it seemed to get even more uncomfortable.... It's still hard to sell to an LSU fan base on where they are right now," Finebaum said.

Kelly entered the 2025 season as college football's eighth highest-paid head coach with a $10,175,000 salary in 2025, according to USA TODAY Sports' annual database of college coaches' salaries. He also can receive a maximum of $1,325,000 in bonus money.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

After piecing together one of the most expensive rosters in college football during the offseason, the LSU Tigers assembled the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America.

An offseason that saw multiple coaching changes, a collective buy-in from the program, and one of the most talented rosters in the nation, the Bayou Bengals remain in a challenging spot.

No. 20 LSU and No. 3 Texas A&M will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday with all eyes set to be on the Top-25 matchup in Baton Rouge.

More LSU News:

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Three Observations From LSU Football's Week 8 Loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores

Updated AP Top-25 Poll: LSU Football Falls, Oklahoma Sooners Cruise in Rankings

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