After just three weeks of the season, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and LSU,all three teams that started ranked inside the top 15,each already have a loss. This is not how you draw it up, not even close, and for some, it feels like the season is already in a deep rut.
Lane Kiffin’s Nightmare Return to Oxford
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin just had an absolutely brutal emotional night back at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where his team faced Ole Miss. The “villain froze upon sight of the team he betrayed” is how the scene was described, which says it all. LSU’s day was not much better than Texas A&M’s awful showing, and the loss means Kiffin’s team is now 0-1 in SEC play. He tried to sound optimistic, saying, “There’s a lot of football left.” But he knows the truth: there are “a lot of landmines left.” If they step on a couple more, it means another season ends without Kiffin ever coaching in a playoff game. That’s a brutal reality check early in the year for a team that started with such high hopes.
Prairie Wagons Stuck and Gingerbread Men Crumbled
It wasn’t just Kiffin’s LSU that stumbled out of the gate, though. Texas A&M had what was called an “awful day,” with Marcel Reed and the team getting the “Gingerbread Man crumbled” treatment. That’s a tough visual for fans to swallow, seeing your team just fall apart. And then there’s Oklahoma. While they “survived,” the feeling wasn’t one of triumph; it was more like “it didn’t inspire.” Their “prairie wagon got stuck in a deep rut, again.” Surviving but not inspiring, and still getting stuck? That’s not a recipe for contending, not when you start in the top 15. The early season form for all three of these squads is already putting their playoff aspirations in serious jeopardy.
With eight SEC games left, Lane Kiffin is right, there’s still a lot of football to play for LSU. But the margin for error for all these top 15 teams that have already taken a loss is razor-thin. Every single game from here on out is a must-win situation if they want to get back into contention. Can LSU navigate those landmines? Can Texas A&M or Oklahoma find their footing after such a rough start? It’s going to be a wild ride, and every snap matters for these teams looking to turn their seasons around before it’s too late.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply