On a wild Saturday across college football, LSU avoided the upsets that shook up the national rankings. The Tigers shut out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 in Tiger Stadium, earning their most convincing victory in weeks despite dealing with significant injuries of their own.
Mississippi State was without two of its top offensive players, starting quarterback Kamario Taylor and leading rusher Fluff Bothwell. But LSU coach Lane Kiffin wasn't interested in hearing excuses about the Bulldogs' absences.
The Tigers have been dealing with injuries throughout the season, and Kiffin made that point clear after the game.
“I know you're going to talk about injuries, and that'll be a storyline,” Kiffin said. “But hey, there ain't any team in America that has more significant players standing on the sideline than us. So not a lot of pity there.”
LSU is playing without linebacker Whit Weeks and tight end Trey’Dez Green, two of its top playmakers. Starting safety Dashawn Spears and backup receiver and special teams contributor Phillip Wright are also out for the season.
The Tigers suffered more setbacks Saturday, losing running back Princewill Umanmielen to an apparent concussion and receiver Jackson Harris to a leg injury.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt also continues to battle a hamstring injury that flared up again during practice last week. Despite limited mobility, he completed 31 of 38 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns without committing a turnover.
“I thought it was one of my cleaner days of my career, maybe the cleanest,” Leavitt said. “I felt like I played a pretty easy game, just getting the ball out to my guys and having them make plays.”
While LSU handled its business, the rest of college football experienced a historic day of upsets.
For the first time since the Associated Press began publishing its Top 25 poll in 1936, five of the top seven teams lost on the same day. Top-ranked Georgia fell to Auburn, No. 2 Notre Dame lost to BYU, No. 5 Indiana was beaten by Ohio State, and No. 6 Alabama fell to Tennessee. Florida also rallied to defeat No. 7 Texas and quarterback Arch Manning.
The results reshaped the national rankings, with LSU moving up four spots to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25. Miami, following a double-overtime victory over Florida State, moved into the No. 1 position. BYU is ranked second, followed by Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Indiana and Ole Miss.
LSU's victory also strengthened its postseason outlook. According to The Athletic's College Football Playoff bracket projection, the Tigers have a 42% chance of reaching the playoff.
But the next challenge could be a difficult one.
LSU travels to Auburn at 11 a.m. Saturday, facing a team coming off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend. Auburn rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat top-ranked Georgia 27-24, scoring 24 unanswered points while forcing three turnovers.
LSU is expected to be favored by about a touchdown, but Saturday's results were a reminder that rankings and point spreads offer no guarantees.
The Tigers took care of business against a short-handed Mississippi State team. Now they'll face an Auburn squad riding high after knocking off the nation's top-ranked team, with LSU's playoff hopes and momentum on the line.
