I hate declaring that a team is “back.”
It’s become cliche to the point where it’s almost a joke. It jumps to conclusions and boils nuanced situations down to just a few words.
LSU’s win over Alabama will lead many to declare that LSU is back. After two seasons middling in mediocrity, LSU now controls its own destiny in the SEC West.
You know the story. After putting together one of the best teams the sport has seen in 2019, LSU took a tumble. It looked like it was in need of a full-scale rebuild.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] knew the potential LSU had, that’s why he took the job, but he also knew he had his work cut out for him. The staff went to work, and Kelly took down Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide on his first try.
LSU wasn’t supposed to be here. Even Kelly’s biggest supporters can admit that. This was a team that some projected to finish last in the west. An after thought that nobody thought was ready to contend.
LSU has exceeded all expectations. A season that began with a heartbreaking loss to Florida State has now become a fairy tale.
At the same time, LSU winning the west is no fairy tale. To say it wasn’t supposed to be here is an excuse because this is LSU, and it is supposed to be here.
This should be the standard, the expectation.
The fact that LSU has done this in Kelly’s first year is precisely why he took this job because even when the program is down, it’s not that far from being up.
Thinner than the typical Tigers roster, maybe a bit less talented and certainly less experienced, the roster was still good enough to beat Alabama and likely win the West.
If this is the floor for Kelly’s LSU, then what does the ceiling look like?
[autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], the man who caught the winning two-point conversion, will be back next year. So will stud freshman linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag].
LSU hasn’t lost a game when [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] have both started. They’ll be back next year.
[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who has been LSU’s most consistent wide receiver and showed up in big moments again on Saturday night, has at least one more year in Baton Rouge, too.
LSU has only gotten better this year. That’s going to continue through the end of this year and well into next. We’re seeing the pieces fall into place in real time and many already have.
LSU was a double-digit underdog against Alabama. The Crimson Tide has been the Tiger’s kryptonite for years. LSU hadn’t beaten Saban in Tiger Stadium since 2010.
There wasn’t much reason to believe Saturday would be any different. I thought LSU would put up a good fight, but I thought Alabama would win.
I was wrong, just like so many have been about this LSU team all year.
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