LSU’s Magic Number to Clinch College Football Playoff Spot

The LSU Tigers are coming off a slightly impressive 34-17 win over UCLA this weekend. Why is it slightly impressive? Because even after the Tigers went to South Carolina and got an SEC road win, there were still people doubting if this LSU team was actually good or not. A win over UCLA doesn't confirm that they're a great team, but it does tell us that the team is good. They can win the games they're supposed to win.

Coming into this season, there was talk swirling that this could be a team that makes the College Football Playoffs with the new, expanded, 12 team format. Publications and reporters were picking LSU to be one of the last teams in, or first teams left out.

LSU does have a loss, and the team they lost to, USC, has now picked up their first loss (losing to Michigan this past weekend). That makes both LSU and USC two of the top rated 1-loss teams in the nation, with Michigan being the other. Right now, LSU is ranked 14th by the Associated Press, with USC ranked just ahead of them at #13, and Michigan at #12. All of the teams ahead of Michigan are undefeated.

Now, the AP polls won't be the exact match of the College Football Playoff rankings, but they're a good barometer.

So what does LSU need to do to clinch a spot in the Playoffs? How can we predict a magic number? Easy...

The "magic number" for LSU is 8. If they get 8 more wins, you can be certain they will make the College Football Playoffs.

How are we able to predict that with certainty? Because that either means they run the table with their remaining regular season schedule, knocking off Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Or it means they drop one of those, make the SEC Championship Game, and win that. Because even if they run the regular season, and lose the SEC Championship Game, they will have enough quality wins that they can't be ignored.

So its just that easy...only lose one more game and you're in. Simple, right?