What’s being said after LSU’s thriller against Ole Miss?

LSU’s regular-season finale victory over Ole Miss offered hope for 2021. Also, Texas A&M fans are upset with the College Football Playoff.

As the dust settles on what was the 2020 LSU football season, there will be plenty of moments to question how things could have been improved ahead of time. But after a wild shootout victory with some late-game heroics to deliver a win, the future really does look to have some reasons to be optimistic for the 2021 season in Baton Rouge.

After 53-48 victory over Ole Miss, the optimistic spin for the future as LSU enters the offseason was easy to point out. Freshman quarterback Max Johnson turned in his best performance of the season and improved to 2-0 as the starting quarterback for the Tigers, and freshman wide receiver Kayshon Boutte broke the school record for the most receiving yards in a single game. The record-setting catch also delivered the game-winning touchdown against the high-powered Ole Miss Rebels.

Instant Reaction: LSU closes out season with fireworks and optimism for 2021

We certainly were not the only ones to suggest this game offered a reason for hope next year. Glenn Guilbeau echoed our sentiments in his reaction column for The Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Guilbeau’s postgame report card had some similar reactions to LSU’s performance as our own report card too.

Report Card: LSU offense aces final exam of the 2020 season

It helps that this win came the same week LSU put the finishing touches on one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, which suggests the talent and depth on the Tigers’ roster is going to be just fine moving forward after a challenging 2020 season. Of course, the concerns about the defense continue to be a serious issue LSU will have to address this offseason. The calls for defensive coordinator Bo Pelini to be removed from his position surfaced once more during the game.

But, on the brighter side, the up-and-down follow-up to a national championship season managed to end on a winning note.

LSU misses out on CollegeFootball Playoff

Despite ending the season o na two-game winning streak and being the reigning national champions, LSU fell short of a return trip to the College Football layoff. I know. You’re shocked, right?

All kidding aside, LSU will be staying home for the bowl season while serving its self-imposed bowl ban (and awaiting any follow-up from the NCAA in the meantime). But on Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee made its final decision on this year’s four-team field. This year’s field includes some familiar names to the playoff era.

The Alabama Crimson Tide took the No. 1 seed in the playoff after winning the SEC championship on Saturday with a win over Florida. The Tide will face No. 4 seed and ACC runner-up Notre Dame in the “Don’t Call it the Rose Bowl” Rose Bowl Game, which has been transplanted to Arlington, Texas due to not being able to host fans at the game in Pasadena.

ACC champion and No. 2 seed Clemson will get a rematch with Big Ten champion Ohio State, the No. 3 seed, in the Sugar Bowl.

Ohio State and Notre Dame making the playoff despite only playing six games (Ohio State) or getting blown out in the ACC Championship Game (Notre Dame) did not sit well with fans of the Texas A&M Aggies.

Is it possible LSU damaged Texas A&M’s playoff chances? From a 20-7 victory over the Tigers that may have lacked the necessary style points for the Aggies to LSU knocking Texas A&M’s best win (Florida) into two-loss territory, it may be an interesting case to study.

Did LSU play a role in keeping Texas A&M out of the College Football Playoff?

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