BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU has some ground to make up in the College Football Playoff race, but the Tigers will have an opportunity to make a major statement this weekend.
Lane Kiffin's Tigers debuted at No. 14 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season, released Tuesday evening.
LSU (6-2, 3-2 SEC) finds itself just outside the 12-team playoff field heading into Saturday's showdown against fifth-ranked Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) in Tiger Stadium.
The Crimson Tide is one of five Southeastern Conference teams ranked among the top 10, joining No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky and No. 10 Ole Miss. Tennessee (No. 13), LSU (No. 14), Texas Tech (No. 15) and Missouri (No. 18) are also among the teams in the rankings, with Texas Tech representing the Big 12.
Miami claimed the top spot, followed by Georgia, Utah and Indiana. Alabama rounded out the top five.
LSU enters the final month of the regular season riding a two-game winning streak following a 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State and a 38-17 road victory over Auburn.
The Tigers' two losses came against Ole Miss, 32-24, and Kentucky, 35-34 in overtime.
Saturday's matchup against Alabama represents LSU's biggest opportunity yet to improve its playoff positioning. The Crimson Tide is the highest-ranked remaining opponent on the Tigers' schedule.
Following Alabama, LSU hosts No. 7 Texas on November 14 before closing the regular season with road games at No. 13 Tennessee and Arkansas.
With three of its final four opponents ranked in the top 13, LSU has opportunities to strengthen its postseason résumé, although another loss could significantly complicate its playoff chances.
Saturday's LSU-Alabama game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
College Football Playoff Top 25 — November 3, 2026
1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Indiana
5. Alabama
6. Kentucky
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. BYU
10. Ole Miss
11. Notre Dame
12. Ohio State
13. Tennessee
14. LSU
15. Texas Tech
16. Wake Forest
17. Houston
18. Missouri
19. Iowa
20. USC
21. South Carolina
22. Arizona
23. Oregon
24. Florida
25. Boise State
