New Life Breathed Into LSU Tigers Season With Favorable Spot In New Playoff Rankings

Luckily for the LSU Tigers, the College Football Playoff Committee seems to be a little bit more forgiving to them than the AP Poll, as the new rankings have Tigers fans clinging to hope for an appearance this year after all.

The committee revealed the latest rankings on Tuesday night, and the Tigers actually came in at No. 21, three spots higher than they were on the AP Poll. Given the rest of their schedule, there is certainly a chance that LSU actually does push their way back into the Playoff range if things fall their way. New life has been breathed into a 6-3 season that felt over.

Part of this has been the fact that the Tigers don't have any "bad losses" so far. The Ole Miss Rebels have slipped to No. 19 after their third loss, but that is by far their worst. The Alabama Crimson Tide are all the way up to No. 3, and the Kentucky Wildcats are at No. 11.

Of course, the Tigers would have to be nearly perfect over the final three games, as well as some things out of their control bouncing their way. Those who are skeptical that they actually have a chance to pull it off, have every reason to be. The good news, though, is that this has been the most chaotic season that College Football has seen in over a decade.

LSU's first task will be to defend Tiger Stadium against the sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns. The Tigers are actually early favorites in that game, but the Longhorns are still clearly very dangerous. Arch Manning has been red-hot, and the defense has the potential to be game-breaking.

The offensive line could be the biggest deciding factor in how things move forward for LSU overall. Colin Simmons is a game-wrecker for Texas and is still tied for the nation's lead with 10.5 sacks in just seven outings. The Tennessee Volunteers, the Tigers' next opponent after the Longhorns, have the country's top overall pass rush. LSU's five up front has not performed up to snuff this season, and it could now come back to bite them.

The Tigers also need Texas to win their final two games after Saturday, but that should be expected as they face the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies. The Volunteers also have two winnable games between that meeting, against the Aggies and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

It still won't be guaranteed if these two wins come through and then LSU takes care of business against the Razorbacks in the final week, but it would at least have them in the conversation. With how all over the place the rankings have been this year, anything is possible.