LSU’s victory over the Gators not only showed a glimmer of hope for 2021, but created a much tougher road to the playoff for Florida.
It may be safe to assume nobody saw this one coming. LSU (4-5, 45 SEC) pulled off the upset of the day with a 37-34 win over No. 6 Florida (8-2, 8-2 SEC), proving to be a potentially devastating pothole on Florida’s path to an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Aided by a poorly-timed penalty by Florida for throwing an LSU player’s shoe after a defensive stop, LSU knocked off the Gators with a 55-yard field goal off the foot of Cade York in a dense fog.
Florida had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but a last-second 51-yard field goal attempt by Gators kicker Evan McPherson nudged wide left to secure the win for LSU.
LSU played arguably its best game of the season. Allowing 31 points at first glance doesn’t seem all that appealing, but this is an LSU defense that has been scorned all year long, and it was going up against one of the most potent offenses in the nation. And they did so a week after being beat-up by Alabama at home. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask may not have had reliable tight end Kyle Pitts to rely on, but LSU’s secondary took hit after hit and still managed to make plays when it needed them.
LSU was without cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (ruled out) and Cordale Flott, LSU’s other starting cornerback, was ejected in the first quarter for targeting. That’s why it was even more impressive to see Eli Ricks return a Trask interception for a touchdown and the secondary get an epic lucky bounce for an interception with Florida approaching the end zone.
WATCH: LSU CB Eli Ricks returns Florida QB Kyle Trask INT for go-ahead TD
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron also made a decision to start freshman quarterback Max Johnson on the road, and Johnson managed to lead the offense for the entire game without being replaced for any amount of time. Johnson threw three touchdowns and passed for 236 yards in the win. Kayshon Boutte led LSU with 108 receiving yards and scored one of the three touchdowns through the air. Jaray Jenkins and Tre Bradford (with the eventual game-winner in the fourth quarter) recorded the others on a foggy night in Gainesville.
Two trends have carried throughout the course of the relatively brief history of the College Football Playoff. First, no SEC champion has ever been left out of the four-team playoff field. Second, no two-loss team has ever been invited to the playoff. Florida will now hope that only one of those trends will continue. With two losses, it would appear Florida’s path to its first appearance in the College Football Playoff has been blocked.
Even if Alabama loses, the currently No. 1 Crimson Tide could still be in a pretty stable spot to receive a playoff invite even if they lose next weekend to the Gators in the SEC Championship Game. Ohio State has been granted a chance to play in the Big Ten championship game next week, which figures to help Ohio Strate’s playoff case if they remain undefeated.
And the ACC could be grabbing at least one spot between Notre Dame and Clemson. And a Clemson victory over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game could send two ACC teams to the College Football Playoff for the first time, and the second time a conference places two schools in the playoff (the SEC being the other, of course).
This may actually be great news for Texas A&M, who defeated Florida head-to-head and has one fewer loss after having this weekend’s game canceled.
But the bottom line is Florida will get one more chance to prove to the selection committee they are worthy of at least being considered for a spot in the playoff. As for LSU, a glimpse into the future may have been on display.
WATCH: LSU gets the luckiest bounce for INT vs Florida
LSU’s schedule will conclude next weekend with a home game against Ole Miss. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT as the Tigers have a chance to end this roller-coaster season with a .500 record.
What does LSU football’s bowl game history look like over the past 20 years?
