Nick Saban picks LSU as sleeper CFP title contender: 'This could be the team to go all the way'

At this stage of the season, the College Football Playoff rankings are right around the corner and Nick Saban likes LSU the rest of the way. When discussing championship picks and sleepers, Saban threw LSU into his sleeper category. In fact, the Tigers are certainly under the radar considering they’re No. 15 in the latest AP Poll but are quickly rounding into form. Lane Kiffin preached patience for his first season in Baton Rouge, but he might have LSU back into Nick Saban-form competing for a national title. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage LSU is on a bye week this weekend, so they’ll rest up during Halloween before hosting Alabama next weekend to kick off November. Ironically, Saban coached in both places but is rolling with the Tigers as his sleeper CFP pick. It remains to be seen where they’ll fall in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season on Tuesday night. “You got LSU. LSU has scored over 40 points a game. They’re only giving up 16 a game,” Saban said on College GameDay. “They beat six teams by 20+ points. If their skill guys play a little better and Sam Leavitt doesn’t turn the ball over, this could be the team to go all the way.” Leavitt leads the SEC in interceptions this year with eight, but he’s gone the last two games without throwing a pick. In those games, LSU beat Mississippi State and Auburn 31-0 and 38-17, respectively. Add in teh fact he’s thrown seven touchdowns and ran for another in the last two games. As Saban said, LSU’s success hinders on the QB transfer from Arizona State. Kiffin hitched his wagon to the veteran and it seems like he’s returning to form physically and mentally. After Alabama, Kiffin and LSU will host No. 11 Texas, go to No. 16 Tennessee and then host Arkansas. The schedule is brutal down the stretch, but if they win out and finish 10-2, you can almost guarantee that College Football Playoff spot for the Tigers. Depending on how the SEC standings end up too, LSU might be playing for a conference crown. Kiffin saw this vision in his head when he left Ole Miss prior to last year’s CFP for the Tigers. In fact, he doubled down on that decision when speaking about it with Barstool Sports’ Brandon Walker this week. “Unlike that Kentucky game where every day it haunts me, you know, a decision in that, I’ve never thought twice about this decision,” Kiffin told Walker. “Just from getting here and seeing when you play at home here in the stadium and the environment and the state and the people and how much support there is for football. “And then the kids in the state and how they play and how they love football, and just see this is what, we’re eight games in, you know? And to see that we played already as well as anybody in the country at times (and be a) really dangerous team that we’re able to do that in, really, an off season like we’ve never had before. We got here, and then our coaches are still coaching there and going back and forth, and didn’t know our current players on team previous(ly). So as crazy as it sounds, we will always have better rosters than we do this year.”