Progression and regression.
LSU fans have heard those words a lot over the years. This program has ascended to the highest of highs only to descend back to mediocrity. That back and forth is the norm. It’s rare for a school to stay up or down for an extended period. Most teams get caught in the cycle of progression and regression.
In the case of Brian Kelly’s LSU, it would appear to be a moment of progression — that’s the hope at least.
The Tigers exceeded expectations by winning 10 games on their way to an SEC West title. A step forward after 2021 gave LSU its first losing season in some time.
Improving on six wins is one thing. It’s LSU, a program that’s never far from being back, even when it’s down. Improving on 10 wins is an entirely different ball game. Plenty of programs go from average to good. Not many go from good to great.
LSU’s done it before. The Tigers were good in 2018 but elite in 2019. Kelly and his staff are tasked with a similar challenge this year.
Pitting this team against the one LSU fielded in 2019 is unfair. Kelly doesn’t have to run the table to meet expectations. 15-0 is a longshot for even the best rosters and LSU is still a notch below the nation’s elite.
Here’s the good news: LSU hasn’t had a standalone 10-win season since 2003. It happened four times in a row from 2010-13 and three times from 2005-07.
LSU reverting back to nine wins in 2023 would be against the norm.
Kelly doesn’t have to win it all, but LSU has to be good, and not just an 8-4 type of good. LSU needs to make an NY6 next year.
Last offseason, I told Tiger fans to be patient and that this would be a multiyear rebuild.
LSU’s 2022 success has reset that expectation. All of the returning talent along with a proven coaching staff that should remain mostly intact means LSU has an opportunity to do something big in 2023.
These opportunities can’t be missed. They only come along so often.
Anything under 10 wins for LSU is a regression. LSU didn’t bring Kelly to Baton Rouge to regress. He’s supposed to compete with Alabama year-to-year.
For Kelly’s LSU, 10 wins are now the standard.
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