LSU head coach Brian Kelly runs off the field before a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum's Take: ESPN Analyst Hesitant to 'Write Off' LSU Football After Week 5

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 3:30 PM ET

No. 13 LSU dropped a Week 5 SEC showdown to Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday behind another difficult day for the offense.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier struggled through the air while the rushing attack pieced together only 57 yards on 22 carries against a Rebels defense that has been abysmal against the run.

Now, the Bayou Bengals suffer their first loss of the 2025 season and fall to 4-1 on the season while dropping out of the Top-10 of the AP Top-25 Poll.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum hopped on The Matt Barrie Show where he broke down what he's seen from the Tigers and if he's "writing off" LSU after Week 5.

“I think what Brian Kelly did was he loaded up on the defense,” Finebaum said. “Because he knew he had to have it. I suppose knowing that [Caden] Durham was there and there was a couple other guys, they felt comfortable.

"I think they also felt comfortable with what we were told was going to be the Heisman Trophy -winning quarterback. Look what happened.”

LSU's schedule remains daunting with matchups against multiple top-ranked foes after the Tigers' open date in Week 6.

“I think they’re in a really tough spot. I’m thinking through their schedule in my head, and they have to go to Alabama. they have Oklahoma… I think they have Texas A&M… [South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, at Alabama, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, at Oklahoma]…

"I think the Alabama game is perhaps going to be their Waterloo. A&M. This feels right now like that may be a lot.”

But Finebaum remained optimistic when discussing the Bayou Bengals with the program still alive in the College Football Playoff conversation.

“The good news for them is it’s only one loss," Finebaum said. "That’s why the Clemson game was so critical. I always looked at that Ole Miss game as being problematic for them. That was a game last year that they won in overtime.

"So, I’m hesitant to write them off because of what the schedule says, but I would be bullheaded to act like they don’t have serious problems offensively. Durham coming back will help, but he was there early on. Didn’t help that much.”

LSU will utilize an open date in Week 6 before squaring off against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 7 [Oct. 11] at home in Tiger Stadium.

This article first appeared on LSU Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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