Is the LSU Tigers football coach on the hot seat? Closer look at Brian Kelly's records last season

Despite a rocky start that kicked off with an unexpected loss at the hands of Florida State and a mid-season loss against Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss, the 2023 season has to be considered a success for Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers.

They finished the season with a 10-3 record and with the Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, on their roster. The LSU Tigers also won their ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin, which helped them end the season as the No. 12 school in the nation.

All that said, and considering Brian Kelly's first season in 2022 also brought a winning record of 10-4, there's no reason to expect that Kelly will be on the hot seat this year. Let's not forget that 2022 brought a divisional title to Baton Rouge.

But in storied programs such as LSU, there is going to be an expectation for Kelly to take them to the next level. What exactly would the next level be for the Tigers? Reaching the College Football Playoffs and getting a shot at the national title.

However, some don't believe that the Tigers have it in them to make that jump; especially now that they don't have Daniels. One such opinion was expressed by Paul Finebaum in an episode of the GoJo and Golic podcast that aired on August 9.

“I don’t see any reason why they should be that great this year. I mean, I think they’re good,” Finebaum said.

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Paul Finebaum on Bryan Kelly's and LSU's chances to make the playoffs

Interestingly, despite not thinking that they're as good as last year's roster, Finebaum seems to think that the LSU Tigers can reach the playoffs. We have to take into account the expanded playoff format, which made room for 12 teams from four.

"They have to take advantage of the home games against the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss. I think if they can beat USC, which I think they will, (also) maybe win one of the other ones, then they're on the verge of the playoffs," Finebaum added.

Even though Finebaum believes that the LSU Tigers will beat the odds, the ESPN Power Index is expecting them to finish with an 8-4 record; making them No. 13 in the nation. In that case, they would just miss the playoffs. However, only time will tell what Kelly has in store for us.