Brian Kelly, LSU's CFP Hopes Trolled by CFB Fans After Loss to Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
The No. 10 LSU Tigers dropped a 31-24 road decision to the No. 17 Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, and their College Football Playoff hopes took a massive hit in the process.
With a 5-2 record overall and a 2-2 mark in the SEC, the Tigers will already be hard-pressed to reach the SEC Championship Game, and it is likely they will need to go undefeated the rest of the way to have any chance at the CFP.
Following a second loss in the past three games, LSU was trolled on social media by fans who dismissed the Tigers' likelihood of reaching the playoff:
Not surprisingly, head coach Brian Kelly was the subject of criticism as well, especially given LSU's defensive failures throughout Saturday's contest.
LSU allowed 399 yards of total offense, 20 first downs and didn't force a turnover. Additionally, Vandy won the time of possession battle 36:31-23:29.
On top of that, the Commodores scored points on six of their first eight drives, and the Tigers did not force a punt until the fourth quarter.
After such a listless defensive performance in a hugely important game, fans made their feelings known about Kelly with some even calling for his firing:
In the midst of his fourth season as the head coach at LSU, Kelly has yet to win more than 10 games in a season, win an SEC title or qualify for the CFP.
Given that LSU has consistently been among the best and most talented teams in the SEC over the past couple of decades, the expectation every year is for them to vie for a conference title and a national championship.
That hasn't been the case during the Kelly era, and barring a spectacular finish to the season that includes wins over No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 6 Alabama and No. 14 Oklahoma, LSU may be on the outside looking in once again.
While LSU is already essentially on the brink of CFP elimination, Vanderbilt is looking like a legitimate threat to make its first-ever CFP appearance.
Under head coach Clark Lea, the Commodores are 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC, and Saturday's win could push them into the top-10 conversation.
Perhaps the biggest reason for their success has been the play of quarterback Diego Pavia, who is a Heisman Trophy candidate.
LSU had no answers for Pavia's dual-threat ability Saturday, as he threw for 160 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another 86 yards and two scores.
Vandy looks to be for real, but it can prove that is the case even more over its next two games against No. 16 Missouri and No. 21 Texas.
