We all know that LSU Football lost to the USC Trojans last Sunday night and it was definitely disappointing. While the loss hurt, a few things were clear: the Tigers are clearly much better on defense than they were last year, Garrett Nussmeier is very good for a rookie starter, and there is still a lot of work to be done.

It was easy to be impressed with what the Tigers showed overall on Sunday night. One of the people impressed with LSU’s performance on Sunday is former LSU head coach Nick Saban. On College Gameday, Saban spoke about the Tigers and assured fans that the sky is not falling.

“I think all of these teams have issues that they need to fix on their team, but you know, the one team that I was impressed with was LSU. And it reminded me of a story from when I first started coaching Michigan State, we played Nebraska and we got absolutely blown out. And I thought we were never going to win another game. I go after the game and I shake Tom Osborne’s hand and he puts his arm around me and he says, ‘You’re not as bad as you think you are.’ That’s the message I would give to LSU: You’re not as bad as you think you are.”

– Nick Saban

This is a compliment from Nick Saban. He was very positive about the USC Trojans and was very positive about the USC Trojans group throughout the offseason.

The Tigers beating Nicholls State, South Carolina, UCLA or South Carolina aren’t games that will help LSU prove they’re one of the best teams this year. However, those games give LSU a chance to right their wrongs before taking on an incredible Ole Miss team. The Tigers have three more games against College Football Playoff contenders in Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss, meaning the Tigers control their own playoff fate in many ways.

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