What many thought would be a rebuilding year for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in Year 1 at LSU quickly turned into something more.
The Tigers upset Alabama, winning 10 games and the SEC West in 2022. Now, this is a team garnering College Football Playoff hype, but to get there, it likely needs to beat the Crimson Tide again.
Even though that game will be in Tuscaloosa, it may not be viewed as an upset by the time we get there. During an appearance on the 3 and Out podcast, Aaron Murray said he thinks LSU is the better team right now, citing its depth.
“LSU has built depth this offseason,” Murray said, per On3. “They’ve done a great job in the portal. They’ve done a great job recruiting, but it’s not to the level of Alabama,” Murray said. “But, if you asked me today, if you just want to compare starter vs. starter, LSU has more, I would say if you did a whole point category, LSU would get more points for me than Alabama if we want to break it down.”
LSU also has an advantage when it comes to the quarterback situation. Starter [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] is back, while Alabama looks to replace Bryce Young in a three-way battle between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.
“Especially at the big-time areas,” Murray said. “I think they’re better at quarterback. I think with their transfer running back that they have in there, which is kind of a coin flip, I think they’ve got better tackles, I think they’ve got better receivers, got a better tight end. Offensively, they’re better and they’ve got the quarterback. I mean, that’s the big hiccup. You know this. In today’s game, you need a QB, and right now for Alabama, we don’t know who that quarterback’s gonna be.
“And whoever it is of those three guys that they have on the roster right now, it’s not going to be to the same level as Jayden Daniels is.”
Murray also offered praise for LSU’s defense, which loses some major pieces but added big-time transfers like [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag].
“Then you look at LSU on defense,” he said. “They’ve got [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] back at defensive tackle, who is probably gonna be a first-rounder. They’ve got [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag]. The best linebacker in the country. Like position by position starter-wise, LSU is as talented as anyone in the country. It’s the two-deep. It’s all of a sudden if those starters get hurt at a couple key positions, they don’t have the depth to compete.
“And the problem is you face Alabama at the end of the season, how healthy are you going to be by the time you go to Tuscaloosa? That’s the only question, but if LSU is healthy, they’re the better football team this year.”
Murray is certainly not alone in this opinion, and it’s one we’ll likely see more as we approach the start of the season, especially if LSU can knock off Florida State in what will likely be a season-opening matchup between top-10 teams.
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