Nobody expected anything from LSU last year.
People didn’t know how [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was going to work out in Baton Rouge, [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was a transfer quarterback coming off a bad year, and the roster was left in shambles at the end of 2021.
If LSU went 5-7, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone.
But LSU didn’t go 5-7. The Tigers bounced back from an inconsistent first month to beat Ole Miss and Alabama and take control of the SEC West.
LSU finished the year with its first 10-win season since 2019 and the immediate outlook suddenly shifted.
This was no longer a rebuild. This was a team expected to compete. Not in a few years, but now.
That time is here. LSU will kickoff against Florida State tonight and be tested right away.
This is a ‘Noles team that got the best of LSU last year and only got better down the stretch. Similarly to LSU, FSU enters 2023 with renewed expectations. Florida State is loaded with talent across the board.
Whatever happens on Sunday night, there are sure to be overreactions.
Remember last year? Social media declared LSU dead in the water. Baseless rumors began stating that [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] was leaving the team.
This game’s on an even bigger stage, which means the Monday morning quarterbacking will grow to a larger scale, too.
Whatever team wins this will be picked to make the playoff while the loser is forgotten for a few weeks.
That’s what having expectations brings.
Last year, LSU was playing with house money. Winning mattered, but it was more about laying a foundation for Kelly’s program.
The flip scripts when the entire fanbase is expecting a win in every game. The pressure is upped a few notches. Games, even against the lesser opponents, grow more tense.
Smaller mistakes are magnified and narratives are amplified.
Kelly’s been around a long time. Coaching a decade at Notre Dame will teach a coach how to handle this type of spotlight.
This roster bought into the Kelly regime last year. The culture is set.
Because of that, I have trust in how this staff and team will handle a different set of expectations. I don’t think this is a group that’s going to shy away from any of this.
On Sunday night, I think you’re going to see an LSU team play with a lot more composure than we saw in the opener last year.
Kelly embraced the hype in the offseason. He didn’t say, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He accepted it and said, “That’s why you come to LSU.”
That mindset should trickle down through this team. The Tigers will be ready for this moment on Sunday night.
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