History Says LSU Could Be A Serious Contender In 2024
Brian Kelly is looking to continue his incredible streak this year
Matthew Horner - Jul 25, 2024, 3:00pm EDT
Kelly's Year 3 Streak
LSU head coach Brian Kelly has been around the block a few times and is one of the most well-known coaches in the sport of football. He's been a head coach for 20 years now, compiling a very impressive .729 career winning percentage between Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and LSU. However, while that number is certainly impressive, it doesn't compare to how well he has done in his third year at each program that he has made a stop at.
During his third year coaching Central Michigan in 2006, the team went 9-4 and had one of the most successful seasons in school history. In 2009, his third year as the head coach of Cincinnati, the Bearcats went 12-0 and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation before playing in the Sugar Bowl. In 2012, his third year at the helm of one of the most historic programs in sports, Kelly led the Irish to a 12-1 season and an appearance in the BCS title game against Alabama.
Now, he will enter his third season with the Tigers. Kelly talked a bit about this at SEC media day recently: "Each stop along the way is similar (in Year 3) and has really the same process in terms of how I've gone about building the program,” Kelly said on Monday.
"So, this is the most accountable team that I've had. This has got the best leadership that I've had here at LSU, and not because they're better kids. It's just that they've been at this process now for three years. There's trust within the ranks. They're trusting each other, they're trusting the coaching, they're trusting what we're doing on the day-to-day basis, so that has generally led to success on the field.”
Futures Odds
The Tigers lost a ton of talent from last season, including Heisman-winning QB Jayden Daniels. Gone are receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. as well, so this offense has had its wings clipped over the offseason. Still, LSU commands some of the best prospects in the country, and they are still loaded with talent.
Despite losing all of those stars to the NFL, they are still just 18/1 to win the title. If you want to bet them to make the CFP next year, you can get +120 odds on that right now, and they are 10/1 to win the SEC.