BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU and its boosters invested heavily in the roster, while fans bought tickets and embraced the excitement around the team. Now Lane Kiffin needs to give them a defining win.
By Friday afternoon, large RVs were pulling into prime spots near Tiger Stadium, where fans were preparing for a full day of tailgating ahead of LSU’s game against No. 6 Texas. For the Tigers, the matchup feels close to a must-win: their playoff hopes are fading, and another loss would make for a long offseason.
That wasn’t how many people pictured Kiffin’s first season two months ago. At the time, prospective LSU players were in a Baton Rouge courtroom asking a judge to let them join a team practicing only a few miles away.
Last weekend’s 31-13 loss to Alabama, in the same city, sharpened the anxiety around LSU’s postseason chances. I don’t think anyone could reasonably have expected Kiffin to win a national championship in his first year. Still, with a roster reportedly costing more than $40 million and a coaching staff whose total price tag is near $100 million, the Tigers probably shouldn’t be in this position.
People will be watching Saturday for all sorts of reasons: some to see whether Kiffin can turn things around, others to see who joins him for the Tiger Walk into a stadium that has witnessed several recent disappointments. LSU was the talk of the offseason, and the excitement didn’t come only from people outside Louisiana. The program knew what it was doing when Kiffin boarded a private jet in Oxford last December.
There’s unlikely to be much sympathy for a program whose new era has been enthusiastically promoted by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and LSU President Wade Rousse. LSU officials don’t seem to be asking for any, either. Everyone involved in building up the 2026 season has had a hand in getting the team here, with Texas now arriving in Baton Rouge hoping to deliver another blow.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning, a Louisiana native, will walk into a hostile crowd Saturday evening. A Longhorns win could send an already frustrated fan base into a full-blown meltdown. LSU embraced its role as the villain in this season’s unfolding drama; now, the Tigers have a chance to beat the team cast as the favorite and keep Texas from securing its own playoff place.
Andy, a fan from New Orleans, said he expected Kiffin to succeed eventually given the resources available to him. He also thought the amount of money involved meant the coach had to win. The three losses and Alabama’s late-game dominance were frustrating, he said, though other expensive programs have stumbled too. He mentioned Ohio State’s loss and Texas A&M’s struggles, then added that he was already being asked to donate again for 2027. He’s committed for the long haul, but would like a big win now.
On Friday, tents were going up across the tailgate area, many bearing Raising Cane’s signs. The chain’s owner, Todd Graves, is a major donor to LSU athletics, and some of the money behind this costly roster came from him. Other boosters with ties to the program have also contributed, hoping their investment brings results.
Kiffin and LSU can’t simply turn to local institutions to fill the program’s financial needs. He has a role in raising the money required to compete, often through phone calls rather than donor retreats or regular meetings with wealthy supporters. Much of the giving, though, comes from people’s attachment to LSU and its history. For some, memories of the 2019 season have been doing a lot of work lately.
Saturday is LSU’s final home game of the season, and a win over No. 6 Texas would be the first step toward keeping its playoff hopes alive. Next week, the Tigers travel to No. 8 Tennessee, where they could face another difficult atmosphere in a game with playoff implications. LSU then closes the regular season against Arkansas, which has struggled for much of the year.
If LSU wins all three games, it would have a strong case for the playoff despite having three losses. That’s a considerable “if,” especially with Steve Sarkisian bringing a tough Texas defense to Tiger Stadium and Manning playing with growing confidence. A Longhorns victory could deepen the sense of crisis and leave LSU headed for a bowl game around New Year’s Eve with little at stake.
After the painful loss to Alabama, Kiffin needs to give LSU fans something to celebrate. They helped fund his new chapter in Baton Rouge, and a win would be a welcome early holiday gift.
If the Tigers lose, the mood could turn colder still. LSU fans are looking for more than social media attention or explanations about red-zone problems. They expect a win tonight.
