By the end of the night on Sept. 26, a popular preseason playoff pick will be out of the race. Those are the stakes when No. 23 Texas A&M travels to No. 10 LSU for a loser-goes-home type game before the calendar even turns to October. Does that feel hyperbolic?
No team that started 0-2 in conference play has ever made the College Football Playoff. Perhaps that could change if the playoff expands to 24 teams but it hasn't happened yet when the field has been limited to four and then 12 teams. If Texas A&M loses, it'd be 0-2 in SEC play and still have to face No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 19 Missouri.
If LSU loses, it'd be 0-2 in SEC play and still have to face No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 24 Mississippi State. You can squint your eyes and talk yourself into one of those teams still finding a way in if the new 9-game SEC conference slate turns into a demolition derby but the odds would be significantly stacked against Saturday's loser finding its way into the playoff field. Only one three-loss team (Alabama) has ever made the playoff field and that third loss came in the SEC Championship.
Saturday night's loser would have to be perfect the rest of the season, and even that unlikely scenario wouldn't guarantee anything. For two programs that are heavily invested in this year's rosters, the stakes are high. Under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, LSU has what could be college football's most expensive roster, according to multiple sources.
With a roster number pushing $50 million, LSU spent big to win right away in Kiffin's debut. Two of the most expensive additions -- quarterback Sam Leavitt and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton -- were inconsistent in last weekend's 32-24 loss to Ole Miss. LSU spent a combined eight figures on just those two players, a lofty figure that hasn't quite paid off yet for the Tigers.
An 0-2 start would be a significant disappointment for LSU supporters after the school beat out Ole Miss and Florida for Kiffin's services and rewarded the coach with a 7-year, $91 million contract. Just like LSU, Texas A&M has one of the sport's most expensive rosters in 2026. With a roster that lands around the $40 million range, Texas A&M spent like a program expecting to make a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
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