LSU football saw its record drop to 4-2 with a 35-34 overtime loss at Kentucky in Week 6. Head coach Lane Kiffin and his team face a tough stretch of ranked matchups as the second half of the 2026 slate looms.
The No. 21 Tigers welcome three ranked opponents to Baton Rouge over their next five games, starting with No. 19 Mississippi State on Saturday. After a trip to Auburn on Oct. 24, LSU hosts No. 7 Alabama on Nov. 7 and No. 6 Texas on Nov. 14 before traveling to No. 14 Tennessee. To stay in College Football Playoff contention, the purple and gold will need to win out or come close.
FanDuel sets the Tigers' projected win total at 7.5 with the over at -178, implying roughly a 64% chance LSU clears the number. At 4-2, that means winning four of
the final six — a price that says the market still believes in LSU despite a schedule stacked with SEC powerhouses. However, barely surpassing that 7.5 mark won't be enough for LSU to make the playoff.
Both losses came down to the wire. LSU's second-half comeback at Ole Miss died on the Tigers' final offensive play. Against the Wildcats, the Tigers held multiple leads as a nine-point favorite but couldn't muster a complete series on either side of the ball to put the game away.
LSU football remaining 2026 schedule
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football win total set for brutal second-half stretch
