USA TODAY Sports projects bowl matchup against new ACC team for LSU

After dropping their season-opener against USC, LSU has responded with four straight wins to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

The margin for error will be pretty limited down the stretch, however, with remaining games against the likes of Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M. In his latest college football bowl projections, USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith has the Tigers missing out on a CFP bid.

Instead, he sends coach Brian Kelly’s team to the Gator Bowl, where it would match up against an ACC team. He projects an interesting matchup against an SMU team that’s off to a 5-1 start in its first season as a member of the power conference ranks.

While it would be a fun game, it’s certainly not the goal for a Tigers team still searching for its first CFP bid under Kelly.

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