Paul Finebaum thinks loser of LSU-USC game will be in serious trouble

We have a lot of questions about this year’s LSU roster, but we’ll likely get some answers pretty quickly.

The Tigers open the season in Las Vegas with a ranked neutral site matchup against USC as both teams look to bounce back after defensive struggles held elite offenses back in 2023. The winner will start the year with quite a bit of momentum, but the loser will begin behind the eight-ball with a tough conference schedule incoming.

During a recent appearance on First Take, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said the loser of that season-opener will find themselves in some pretty serious trouble.

“What about the other side of that? I know everybody thinks I wave the flag of the SEC. I just happen to work at the SEC Network. But, Brian Kelly? He better win that game,” Finebaum said per On3. “Brian Kelly has done a really nice job. But he left Notre Dame a couple of years ago to win a national championship. Last year, the losses started piling up with a terrible defense – it sounds familiar for Lincoln Riley – even with a generational quarterback in Jayden Daniels.”

Despite losing Daniels and his top-two receiver targets, there’s optimism LSU can take a step forward with improvements on defense. But that defense will be tested early by a Lincoln Riley offense that loses Caleb Williams but is still expected to be strong this fall.

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