Despite dropping the season-opener to Florida State, all of LSU’s goals remain in front of it.
This team can still win its division and the SEC overall, and it could still earn a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff. But with a brutal conference gauntlet on the way, the margin for error is small.
Ultimately, USA TODAY Sports has the Tigers missing out on the playoff (and the New Year’s Six, entirely) in its latest bowl projections from Erick Smith.
Smith has the Tigers heading to Jacksonville to face off against an ACC opponent — North Carolina — in the Gator Bowl. The Tar Heels are 2-0 to start the year after beating South Carolina in Week 1 and Appalachian State in double overtime in Week 2.
These are two teams that rarely face each other. They’ve played just seven times in history dating back to 1949 with the most recent coming in 2010 in Atlanta, a game LSU won 30-24.
Prior to that, the two squads hadn’t faced since a 1986 meeting in Baton Rouge, which the Tigers won 30-3.
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