Joel Klatt Reveals 'Biggest Wild Card' in College Football Ahead of 2026 Season

The LSU Tigers will be one of the most monitored teams in college football this upcoming season due to new head coach Lane Kiffin.

Lane Kiffin Expected to Make LSU an Instant Contender

Kiffin comes to Baton Rouge, expected to re-establish the dominance the program once had. The Tigers had a great run through the 2000s and 2010s, but have since become an afterthought in the SEC.

Former head coach Brian Kelly was able to get the program back to respectability after two down seasons. He led them to two 10-win seasons and one nine-win season in his four years. However, he was fired after not being able to get LSU back into College Football Playoff contention.

That's the job Kiffin has taken over after an impressive six-year run in Oxford, Miss. In his time at Ole Miss, Kiffin went 55-19 and led the Rebels to their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history last year. Even still, he elected to take on a new challenge after the regular season concluded.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joel Klatt Names LSU College Football's Biggest Wild Card

For the 2026 season, there are mixed expectations for LSU. On one hand, Kiffin added the top-ranked transfer portal class, but how good can a team that went 7-6 last season and has 41 new players via the portal be?

That's why Joel Klatt revealed on "The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast" that the Tigers are the biggest wild card in college football this season.

"Now, I get into the biggest wild card in the country," Klatt said. "Who is the biggest wild card in the country? This team could go all the way up into the top three. This team could fall outside of the top 25. I have no idea. I'm putting them at eight. I think it's going to go well, but guys, we don't know. LSU. We're just on the Lane Kiffin express, everyone."

LSU Could Either Break Out or Struggle in Year 1

That's what makes Klatt's assessment so interesting. LSU has enough talent to potentially become one of the best teams in the country, but there are enough unknowns that a major step backward is also possible.

A top-three finish would require Kiffin to get the new pieces to mesh quickly and turn LSU into a legitimate SEC contender immediately. On the other hand, another season around the .500 mark would raise serious questions about whether the roster overhaul worked.

Klatt is betting on the upside by placing LSU at No. 8 in his preseason ranking, but even he admits there is significant uncertainty surrounding the Tigers. That uncertainty will make LSU one of the most fascinating teams to follow in 2026.

If Kiffin can get the roster clicking early, the Tigers could quickly become a national championship contender.

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