Paul Finebaum Names Major SEC Program That Could Be Set Up for a College Football Playoff Run

The race for the 2026 College Football Playoff is less than a month from getting underway. College football teams across the country are in the midst of fall camp, in preparation for the season.

LSU Has Been Close to the CFP

The LSU Tigers are a program hoping to end their College Football Playoff drought. LSU last made the playoff back in 2019, when Joe Burrow led the team to a national championship game and a perfect season. Since then, the Tigers have had some close calls under then-head coach Brian Kelly, winning double-digit games in 2022 and 2023 and winning nine games in 2024.

However, despite a decent start to his tenure, Kelly was let go after a 5-3 start last year. The program decided that Kelly could keep the Tigers relevant but couldn't get them over the hump to win a national championship. So, the program turned to Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, who went 55-19 in six seasons in Oxford.

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

Paul Finebaum Predicts Kiffin Could Lead LSU to the Playoff

Kiffin was fresh off leading Ole Miss to its first College Football Playoff appearance, though he wasn't able to coach the team during that run due to taking the LSU job.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst said that he thinks the Tigers could be set up for a return to the CFP this season.

"You asked me a question. Do I think he'll be successful? I do," Finebaum said. "Because he is a very good coach when you get through all the B-S. He's got a great roster. If he can manage the first half of the season, that's really dealing with Clemson, which I think he can. Ole Miss, which I don't think he can and Texas A&M; he's going to be set up for a playoff run."

LSU's Early Schedule Could Determine Its Season

The biggest obstacle standing between LSU and a potential playoff run may be the schedule. The Tigers have Clemson, Ole Miss and Texas A&M among their first four games, giving Kiffin very little time to settle into his new job before facing some of his biggest challenges.

The Ole Miss matchup will be particularly interesting given Kiffin's departure from Oxford and the circumstances surrounding it. But LSU cannot afford to get caught up in the storyline. It needs wins, and it needs them quickly.

A strong start would give Kiffin and the Tigers tremendous momentum heading into the rest of the SEC schedule. A poor start, meanwhile, could put the playoff conversation on hold before LSU ever has a chance to build its resume.

Kiffin has the talent and coaching resume to make Finebaum's prediction look smart. Now, he has to navigate one of the most difficult opening stretches in the country and prove LSU made the right call.

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