Tell the Truth Monday: LSU is really good, just not Top 4 good

LSU isn’t 1 of the 4 best teams in the country.

It was the 38-23 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday night at Kyle Field that officially denied the Tigers an opportunity to ascend into the College Football Playoff if they were to win the SEC championship.

But even though LSU entered that game ranked 5th and was ascending, it’s not 1 of the 4 best teams in the country.

The Aggies proved that. If they hadn’t, Georgia might have done so this coming Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

In any event, the 4 teams that do reach the CFP will be better teams than the Tigers (9-3, 6-2 SEC).

It’s Tell the Truth Monday and the truth today is that the way LSU performed with its CFP dream on the line demonstrated that it’s not CFP worthy.

But there’s more truth than that.

The fact that the Tigers played poorly with so much at stake should be seen as more evidence of how remarkable it is that they earned the opportunity that they failed to take advantage of.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly warned early in the week that A&M was a dangerous team. The Aggies were extremely talented, but young and periodically unfocused.

That’s how they went from being No. 6 in the AP preseason poll to being bowl ineligible going into their season finale.

Kelly also knew that running back Devon Achane likely was going to return from a 2-game absence due to injury and provide a lift to a moribund offense.

Texas A&M was finishing 1 of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. This would be the Aggies’ bowl game — an opportunity to have a signature win in a season almost totally devoid of any accomplishment.

The Aggies (5-7, 2-6 SEC) went out and played like they were the ones trying to keep alive championship hope.

Their performance was an example of the value in periodically remembering that the other team also gives out scholarships — and NIL money.

That doesn’t excuse the fact that LSU didn’t play with as much passion or efficiency or determination as A&M did.

It doesn’t excuse the fact that Kelly and his staff didn’t do nearly as good a job of preparing their players as Jimbo Fisher and his staff did of preparing their players.

It doesn’t excuse the fact that the Tigers didn’t embrace their challenge as well as the Aggies embraced theirs.

It’s just an acknowledgment that A&M has a level of talent that exceeds what its won-lost record suggests.

And it’s a reminder that LSU has a level of talent that doesn’t quite reach the height that its won-lost record suggests.

The Tigers’ shortcomings were visible on Saturday night.

They didn’t tackle well, which was 1 element of their inability to stop the run. The Aggies were constantly on schedule — and often times ahead of schedule — which made it easy for them to convert 11 of 16 3rd- and 4th-down conversions.

LSU’s passing game never clicked. Jayden Daniels never seemed comfortable. His receivers didn’t get open consistently.

And then there was the biggest play of the game.

LSU looked like it was taking control of the game. It trailed 17-10 at halftime, but as has been the case so many times this season, it fixed some problems.

After allowing 17 points on 3 1st-half possessions, the Tigers defense had back-to-back 3-and-outs to start the 2nd half.

On the Tigers’ 1st possession, they drove to 1 of John Emery Jr.’s 3 touchdowns.

After the 2nd 3-and-out, the home crowd was far less festive than it had been in the 1st half. The Tigers’ body language looked a lot healthier than the Aggies’.

Then Daniels fumbled. Demani Richardson picked up the football and ran 27 yards for a touchdown.

A&M was up 7. Then it went up 14 and 21 before winning by 15.

The Aggies were clearly the best team on Saturday night.

But the truth is that the regular-season finale was a 1-week failure, not a discrediting of the season.

LSU was still the best team in the SEC West in 2022. It still has an opportunity to win the conference championship.

It’s just not 1 of the 4 best teams in the country.