They will end their playoff drought.
Paul Finebaum Names Surprising SEC Program That's a 'No Doubt' College Football Playoff Team originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The 2025 college football season presents numerous teams with a strong opportunity to end their College Football Playoff droughts or make the tournament for the first time.
Last season, six out of the 12 playoff teams made their first appearance. Additionally, teams like the Clemson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended playoff droughts. This year, the LSU Tigers are aiming to end their drought.
The last time they made it to the playoff was in 2019, when a Joe Burrow-led LSU team won the national championship. When Brian Kelly was hired in 2022, there was hope that he would return the team to prominence. However, that has not happened so far.
On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst stated that he believes this will be the year the drought ends.
"I like LSU," Finebaum said. "I haven't wrapped my arms around how far they can go, but I have no doubt this is a playoff team."
Finebaum stated that, unlike many of his colleagues, he isn't overly concerned about the first game against the Clemson Tigers on the road. He believes LSU could lose that game and still recover effectively.
Finebaum has been high on the LSU Tigers this season. He previously stated, “LSU is going to be one of the best teams in the country."
The Tigers are excited about the upcoming season, returning 62% of their overall production, which ranks them 38th in the nation. A key player they have back this year is star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who passed for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
LSU will retain junior linebacker Whit Weeks and sophomore running back Caden Durham for the upcoming season. Last year, Weeks led the team with 125 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. Additionally, as a true freshman, Durham rushed for 753 yards and scored six touchdowns.
The Tigers will begin their season with an away game at Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
Related: Paul Finebaum Emphatically Declares SEC Program as 'One of the Best Teams in the Country'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
