LSU Football: 2023 Game-by-Game Predictions for the Tigers

After overachieving in many’s eyes year one, the LSU Football Team led by second-year Head Coach Brian Kelly looks to improve off of last year’s record.

Returning defensive starters Harold Perkins, Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith look to anchor the defense this upcoming season which ranked 46th in the nation last year giving up 23.7 points per game.

On the offensive side of the ball, LSU football is led by second year starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who is getting some pre-season Heisman talk after a strong finish to last season. The Tigers finished the season 25th in the country in points scored last season with 34.6 and look to improve upon that mark.

Here are my predictions on how the Tigers schedule will break down:

LSU Football 2023 Game-by-Game Predictions

Florida State (Orlando, FL) – In a rematch of last season’s year one matchup where the Tigers were edged out by the Seminoles 24-23, LSU will avenge its loss this time around with a 35-17 victory.

Grambling (Baton Rouge, LA) – LSU will handle Grambling easily 55-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season. Look for Jayden Daniels to really show strides from last season in this game to further propel his confidence.

Mississippi State (Starkville, MS) – The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs last year in Baton Rouge 45-20. The Bulldogs are a bit of an unknown this year under first-year Head Coach, Zach Arnett. Expect the game to be closer than most think for the Tigers as any road game in the SEC proves difficult. LSU manages however to squeeze out a 24-21 victory.

Arkansas (Baton Rouge, LA) – Last season the Tigers defeated the Hogs 13-10 in Fayetteville. They’ll be on heightened alert this year after a close game last year. Arkansas running back, Raheim Sanders and third year starting quarterback, KJ Jefferson will keep the game close for the Hogs, but the homefield advantage will prove too much as the Tigers squeak out a 34-21 victory with a touchdown to secure the game late.

Ole Miss (Oxford, MS) – In a game that will be much-hyped, Ole Miss will be reeling coming off of a loss in Tuscaloosa to the Alabama Crimson Tide and will continue to trend downward in this one as the Tigers handle business 42-17. This win will improve the Tigers to 5-0 on the season and should have them solidly in the top ten in the nation.

Missouri (Columbia, MO) – LSU will continue its quest towards a national championship relying heavily on the run game in this one but taking the game 55-10 as they roll with confidence through the early part of their SEC schedule to bring them to 6-0.

Auburn (Baton Rouge, LA) – LSU will handle Auburn easily in this one 35-3. Auburn has a lot of unknown’s right now in year one under Hugh Freeze – namely at the quarterback position as the pre-season battle ensues between Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, and last year’s starting Quarterback for Auburn, Robby Ashford. Hugh Freeze has had winning record at his previous three head coaching stops, but it won’t matter in this one as homefield advantage will play a factor as well.

Army (Baton Rouge, LA) – Expect the Tigers to have a difficult time here with the triple option attack of Army. Harold Perkins will lead the charge on defense helping LSU to a 21-3 victory in a low-scoring, drag-out ground-game affair between the two. Possession time will be limited, so the Tigers will have to make sure ball security is paramount to come out on top. Assuming they do, this should improve them to 8-0 on the season.

Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) – The Tigers always play Alabama close, but this year they’ll come up short 35-28 with a late touchdown to seal the game for Alabama. Last year, the Tigers defeated the Tide in Baton Rouge in an overtime thriller that will always be remembered 32-31. This year, the Tide will have revenge on their minds and handle business at home, handing LSU it’s first loss of the season.

Florida (Baton Rouge, FL) – Many questions linger in Gainesville going into year 2 for Billy Napier at the helm as Head Coach of the Florida Gators. While the Gators will be better than the experts think, it won’t be good enough to steal a victory from the Tigers in Baton Rouge. LSU will be hungry to get back on the winning track coming off of a tough road loss to Alabama and take the game 35-10 in a statement victory that’ll keep them in the national championship conversation.

Georgia State (Baton Rouge, LA) –  Georgia State will give LSU a closer game than people think. Late in the season, teams have a tendency of taking games like these lightly sometimes. Coming off of a tough SEC grind including games against Alabama and Florida most recently, expect the Tigers to be a bit emotionally and physically drained at this point of the season. They’ll win the game 24-17, but eyebrows will be raised.

Texas A&M (Baton Rouge, LA) – Texas A&M ended LSU’s hopes of a national championship last season in College Station defeating the Tigers 38-23. You best believe the Tigers will be adamant about not letting this happen again – especially at home in front of their fans in Baton Rouge. This combined with a lackluster performance from the previous week against Georgia State, the Tigers will avenge a loss from last season here and take the game 42-10 as Brian Kelly will have them more than ready to take on the Aggies.

If all goes accordingly, the Tigers will finish the regular season 12-1 and second to Alabama in the SEC West with this being the last year of divisions in the conference.

Will the Tigers make the playoffs at 12-1 after missing out and sitting out the SEC Championship game due to a loss in Tuscaloosa?

Assuming the Tigers have only 1 loss, external factors may not be much of a factor considering the Tigers play in the SEC and that would mean some signature victories amongst the 12 total. Therefore, this solely could depend on two things:

1. How well the Crimson Tide do this season. If they finish the year with one or less losses, this helps LSU’s case as an arguably “top four team in the country” despite not playing in their conference championship game.

2. If Alabama presumably plays Georgia in the SEC championship, Alabama beating Georgia could be to the betterment of LSU football’s chances as based on schedule, there is a strong chance the Bulldogs could enter the SEC Championship game undefeated. This single loss could also rank LSU football ahead of Georgia, and allow the committee to view them as the better of the two teams based on strength of schedule.

Whatever the scenario, one thing is for certain, handle your business in the SEC, and you’re in- leaving nothing to chance.