LSU football projected to SEC matchup in 2024 College Football Playoff

As we begin to look ahead to the upcoming college football season, many are starting to make projections for the 2024 College Football Playoff. As of today, according to the latest version done by Brad Crawford of 247Sports, coach Brian Kelly and LSU could end up facing off against a fellow SEC program.

2024 College Football Playoff: First round matchup vs. the former employer of coach Brian Kelly

Since coach Brian Kelly first left South Bend, IN, for Baton Rouge, LA, one of the most anticipated matchups in college football has been LSU vs. Notre Dame. The only issue with it is that the two teams aren’t scheduled to face each other any time soon.

As a matter of fact, in the all-time history of the pair, we’ve only seen 12 total matchups, with the most recent having been in 2018, when Notre Dame came out on top 21-17. However, thanks to the new playoff system, a matchup between the two schools is becoming more and more possible in the near future.

Earlier today, Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his way-too-early version of the 2024 College Football Playoff, and college football fans could be in for a treat.

My full 12-team expanded College Football Playoff projection for the 2024 season … pic.twitter.com/AWWJtOlC3A

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) January 16, 2024

On December 21, 2024, Crawford thinks we could end up seeing the exact LSU vs. Notre Dame matchup fans have been waiting for. In his projection, he views the purple and gold as the No. 10 seed, while the Fighting Irish could come in at No. 7.

Interestingly enough, this prediction includes the assumption that the Tigers beat out Alabama for the final SEC spot, which should make many fans very happy.

Facing off against the reigning SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs in round two

However, as if a matchup against Notre Dame (at Notre Dame) weren’t enough, Brad Crawford projects a fellow SEC team to be anxiously awaiting the Tigers in round two of the 2024 College Football Playoff.

If LSU manages to get past the Fighting Irish in his predicted bracket, No. 2 Georgia would be up next for the Bayou Bengals. While this Bulldog team may not be the superpower the Tigers last faced in 2022, it’s never wise to overlook a Kirby Smart roster.

The last time LSU faced off against Georgia was in coach Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge, as they saw each other in the 2022 SEC Championship. While the Tigers put up one of the better fights the Bulldogs had seen all year, it still wasn’t enough, as coach Smart’s squad came away with a 50-30 victory.

Garrett Nussmeier throws a bullet to Malik Nabers for a touchdown.🤯

LSU now trails UGA 17-35🏈pic.twitter.com/quI2ok9YXO

— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 3, 2022

While Crawford once again has the purple and gold losing in the matchup, it’s important to note that he doesn’t project it as a loss to the future national champion. After coming away with this Peach Bowl victory on January 1, 2025, he has Georgia going on to fall vs. Florida State in the Orange Bowl on January 9.

While all of this is projection, it’s still fun to think about the future, especially with the expanded playoff set to change so much about what we currently know college football to be. For now, though, all we can do is wait in anticipation, as LSU will get their 2024 college football season off to a hot start on Sunday, September 1, vs. USC in Las Vegas, NV for the Vegas Kickoff Classic.

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