Why Rece Davis views LSU as a national championship contender after Week 1 drubbing of Clemson

There was a lot of attention on the Associated Press No. 11 LSU Tigers on Saturday night ahead of Lane Kiffin’s debut as the program’s head coach, especially after the drama surrounding the eligibility of former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.

Despite the off-field headlines and scrutiny that Kiffin continues to face from the media, fans and even some within the industry, LSU ran away with a 51-10 victory over Clemson and made its play on the field do the talking as Wright and Harris were both left off the roster for the opener.

Of course, it was just Week 1 and one game should not immediately change the narrative and make LSU a national title favorite. That said, it certainly checked all the boxes and impressed Rece Davis, host of ESPN’s “College GameDay” to the point that he now views them as a serious contender.

Lane Kiffin era off to a strong start in Baton Rouge

“LSU comes out there and they look like a championship contender from the jump,” Davis said on Monday’s edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.” “... But the one question I had, as great as (quarterback) Sam Leavitt looked, and he was outstanding running the football, ran for over 100 yards in the first half, 100 yards plus in the game, will he be able to do that and is that what LSU has to do to be able to run the ball consistently?

“I don’t know if it is. It’s a weapon. I know this, they can extend plays, they can pick up first downs when everything looks broken with him, and that to me makes them look like a championship contender at the risk of overreacting to the first week because Clemson might also just flat stink, and it certainly looked like that at times.”