Tennessee football in top half of SEC Power Rankings after Week 4

Lost to Mississippi State Bulldogs 44-34

Was last year’s national championship a fluke with Joe Burrow at quarterback? The LSU Tigers looked like what we expected them to look like when they initially hired Ed Orgeron on Saturday, losing to a Mississippi State Bulldogs team that should have been far inferior despite their new head coach. That loss obviously forced us to put them in the bottom half of our power rankings.

There were some positives, to be fair. The offense, with Myles Brennan, looks like it can move the ball, and there are numerous weapons at receiver. However, the main story looks like the loss of Dave Aranda was brutal. Despite forcing four turnovers, the defense still allowed 44 points and over 600 yards through the air, which is a major problem.

We still don’t know if it’s LSU that bad or Mississippi State that good with the head coach Tennessee football fans wanted so badly three years ago. Only time will tell, but they do have a chance to right the ship early in the season with their young talent.

Up next for LSU is a trip to the Vanderbilt Commodores, a game they should win. They then host the Missouri Tigers, so this team should be 2-0 heading into a major showdown with the Florida Gators in the middle of October. If the defense doesn’t fix its issues, though, that game could be brutal, and even Vandy and Mizzou could be tough at that point.