After three seasons and no College Football Playoff appearance, the pressure is mounting on Brian Kelly LSU. Former Tigers legend and ESPN analyst Booger McFarland thinks it’s time for Louisiana State to get back into the national title conversation.
Speaking of “Andy and Ari On3,” McFarland gave an open-ended answer to the question of what a college football playoff game at Tiger Stadium would look like.
“You know what? I don’t want to imagine it. I want to see it. That’s what I send BK (Brian Kelly) all the time. Like, it’s time, you know. I don’t want to imagine,” McFarland said.
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“Every coach that comes to LSU, I tell everybody the same thing. I’m loyal to three letters, not you. So you’re always going to get honesty from me because I’m loyal to my program and I’m loyal because I want to see those kids win and I want to see LSU succeed,” McFarland added.
Brian Kelly is gone Notre Dame to sign a 10-year, $95 million contract in 2021 with the Tigers. However, in his first three years in Baton Rouge, the Tigers have yet to make the College Football Playoff. They played for the 2022 SEC Championship, but lost easily to Georgia, 50-30.
Kelly and the Tigers finished the 2024 season 9-4, defeating the Baylor Bears 44-31 in the Texas Bowl. Despite the loss of talent, the Tigers will return guard Garrett Nussmeier and are first in the rankings of the transfer portal 247Sports.
Brian Kelly hopes Notre Dame wins the National Championship
Brian Kelly’s departure from Notre Dame was a controversial topic. Still, the current LSU Tigers head coach had no problem telling CBS Sports that he’ll be rooting for the Fighting Irish in the national championship game.
“I’m happy for all those guys, I’m rooting for them,” Kelly told CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. “I recruited a lot of guys that are on both sides of the ball. Obviously I want to see those guys win everything and I think they’re in a great position. I’m totally excited for those guys.”
Fans reacted violently to Kelly’s remarks. The only question is when Kelly left South Bend of LSU, he said he wants to go to “an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship.”
While Kelly and the Tigers haven’t reached the CFP in three years, the Fighting Irish will play Ohio State for the national title on Monday night.
During his 11-year tenure as Notre Dame’s head coach, Kelly had several competitive teams. Most notably, the Irish reached the Championship Game after an undefeated season in 2012. However, Alabama defeated them 42-14.
Edited by Krutik Jain
