Paul Finebaum Names SEC Powerhouse With No Chance of Winning a National Championship

One of the biggest storylines of SEC media days this past week was the LSU Tigers. The Tigers are entering a new era after firing head coach Brian Kelly during the season last year.

LSU Turned to Lane Kiffin to Restore Championship Expectations

Kelly had gone 34-14 in his four seasons in Baton Rouge. Kelly won double-digit games in his first two seasons before winning nine games in 2024. After a 5-3 start in 2025, Kelly was let go. His biggest issue was that he couldn't get the Tigers back to being a legit contender. He also never seemed to fit the culture in Baton Rouge.

So, the team decided to hire Lane Kiffin away from its SEC rival, the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin went 55-19 in his six seasons in Oxford. He won double-digit games in four of his final five seasons. That included his best season in 2025, going 11-1 and making the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

However, after the final regular season game, Kiffin decided to take the LSU job. Because of that, Ole Miss' administration didn't allow him to coach the playoff run. The Rebels would go on to make the College Football Playoff semifinals before losing in the final seconds to the Miami Hurricanes without Kiffin.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kiffin's task now is to do what Kelly failed to do. Make LSU into a contender as it had been in the past. Some believe that Kiffin should do it this year in Baton Rouge. They argue he has better resources at LSU than at Ole Miss, and he had just taken Ole Miss to the playoff.

Paul Finebaum Believes Kiffin Will Eventually Win a National Championship

ESPN's Paul Finebaum isn't one of him. In an interview at SEC media days, the SEC Network analyst said Kiffin won't win a national title this season, but believes he will before his time at LSU is done.

"It doesn't really matter what he said here; it matters what he does," Finebaum told WAAY 31 News. "I think he will probably win a national championship. Not this year, but within two or three days at LSU."

Kiffin Shouldn't Be Judged by His First Season in Baton Rouge

If Kiffin can't lead the team to the College Football Playoff or the national championship, it should not be looked at as a failure. It took him six years to build Ole Miss into a contender. The Tiger faithful likely won't give him six years to build LSU into one, but he still shouldn't be expected to get it done in Year 1.

Kiffin was hired because LSU believes he can return the program to the top of college football. While expectations in Baton Rouge are always high, history shows that building a championship program takes time, even for elite coaches.

If Kiffin steadily moves the Tigers closer to national title contention and eventually delivers a championship, LSU's decision to hire him will be viewed as the right one regardless of what happens in Year 1.

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