Fox Sports' Joel Klatt: "I Expect LSU To Beat Ole Miss at Death Valley"

Klatt has placed the Tigers in his 12-team College Football Playoff, believes the Tigers are clicking at the right time.

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt at the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue working through the bye week with an opportunity to both recover and begin game preparation for the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 7.

Kelly and Co. are riding a four-game win streak heading into next weekend's clash where the program will be well-rested heading into the meat of SEC play.

It's been a rollercoaster season through five games for the Bayou Bengals.

After dropping the season opener to the USC Trojans, many dismissed Kelly's program as a College Football Playoff contender.

Just two weeks later, the program hit the road to South Carolina with ESPN's College GameDay in attendance where LSU fought back to take down the Gamecocks after trailing 17-0 in the second quarter.

Now, the Tigers are 4-1 (1-0) heading into the thick of conference play with the Ole Miss Rebels set to make their way to Baton Rouge.

No. 13 LSU is clicking offensively and it's woken up several college football analysts, including Fox Sports College Football analyst Joel Klatt.

"I expect LSU to beat Ole Miss at night in Death Valley, [Texas] A&M on the road, Oklahoma at home, and loss to Alabama," Klatt said. "LSU would be a 10-2 team and 7-1 in the SEC... 7-1 in the SEC gets you in the playoff..."

Joel Klatt's CFP Bracket Prediction:
1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Kansas State
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. Penn State
10. USC
11. LSU
12. Boise State

Klatt isn't the only college football analyst high on the Bayou Bengals.

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum is riding with No. 13 LSU after a recent statement on air:

"I think LSU may be a little bit tougher than Missouri," Finebaum said. "People are just not taking LSU seriously."

The Bayou Bengals have shined offensively despite not being at full strength just yet with starting wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. sidelined.

Through the first five weeks of the season, signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier is 138-of-198 passing for 1,652 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He leads the SEC in both completions and touchdowns while ranking in or near the Top 5 nationally in both categories.

LSU has seen production from WR1 Kyren Lacy, tight end Mason Taylor and emerging star Aaron Anderson through the first quarter of the season.

Anderson leads the program in receiving yards with 371 on 27 receptions and a pair of touchdowns on 13.7 yards per catch. The second-year Tiger has become a focal point of LSU's offense while adding a weapon alongside Lacy at the receiver position.

For Lacy specifically, he's been the WR1 that LSU has needed this season with the departures of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. He's up to 352 yards and five touchdowns on just 25 receptions this season while leading the program in yards per catch with 14.1.

It's evident the passing attack is firing on all cylinders with Nussmeier utilizing weapons Lacy, Anderson, Taylor and CJ Daniels, but it still feels as though this unit has another gear it can hit during SEC play when fully healthy.

More LSU News:

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

What's Next for LSU Without Harold Perkins?

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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