Booger McFarland claims "it's time" Brian Kelly takes LSU to College Football Playoff

Brian Kelly is trying to bring LSU back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since the Tigers went undefeated en route to winning the 2019 national title. Tiger Stadium is unarguably one of college football's most notable venues, and Kelly's task could include a postseason game in daunting Death Valley.

ESPN's Booger McFarland could picture the atmosphere, but he'd rather experience the real thing than envision it.

McFarland, a former LSU defensive lineman, stressed his desire for the Tigers to return to prominence as a guest on the On3 podcast "Andy & Ari" on Wednesday.

"You know what? I don't want to imagine it. I want to see it," McFarland said, first transcribed by On3. "That's what I text (Brian Kelly) all the time. Like, it's time, you know. I don't want to imagine it."

Brian Kelly will be entering his fourth season in charge of the Tigers, having gone 29-11 throughout his first three. His 9-4 mark this season meant his fewest wins in a single season since 2016, when he was at Notre Dame. While nine victories might cut it at other Southeastern Conference schools, that total doesn't particularly please LSU fans, including alums like McFarland.

"He knows," McFarland said. "Like, BK understands where he's at. You know, every coach that comes to LSU, I tell them the same thing: I'm loyal to the three letters, not to you. So, you're always going to get honesty from me because I am loyal to my program. And I'm loyal because I want to see those kids and I want to see LSU be successful."

Why should Brian Kelly and LSU be encouraged heading into next season?

Brian Kelly's team brings back a number of key players for next fall, including quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, tailback Caden Durham and linebackers Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr. Both of their recruiting classes — high school and transfer portal — are among the best in the country.

"Everybody's going after it," McFarland said. "There's 17,000 kids in the portal. Like, if you can't put together a roster, that means either a) you don't know how, or b) you don't have any money. I don't think LSU is in either of those positions. ... I think they're going to wind up having 15 or 18 guys out of the portal."

No matter who Brian Kelly fields, he's expected to be the fourth straight LSU coach to bring home a national title, like Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron before him.

The last Tigers coach not to win a national title in Baton Rouge was Gerry DiNardo, who coached LSU from 1995-99.

Although he got progressively worse at the helm record-wise after a 10-2 showing in 1996, with the Tigers missing the bowl season in each of DiNardo's final two campaigns, he's credited with "Bringing back the magic," fulfilling a promise he made in his introductory news conference.