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Brian Kelly heading to SEC Championship Game in first year as LSU head coach
Brian Kelly heading to SEC Championship Game in first year as LSU head coach,LSU (8-2, 6-1 in SEC) made a shocking splash when it landed Kelly, poaching him from the storied Notre Dame program.

Brian Kelly heading to SEC Championship Game in first year as LSU head coach

How’s that for a fit?

Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers continue to exceed expectations with Saturday’s 13-10 win over Arkansas, and thanks to Alabama’s victory over Ole Miss, LSU is guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship Game. 

The Tigers will likely face the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia can clinch a spot in the conference championship game with a win at Mississippi State Saturday night.

LSU (8-2, 6-1 in SEC) made a shocking splash when it landed Kelly, poaching him from the storied Notre Dame program. Few doubted Kelly’s pedigree, but many questioned how his demeanor would mesh with LSU’s football culture.

Per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Kelly’s hiring received a B-plus and was downgraded because “the concern is fit and whether Kelly, a Massachusetts native who has spent his entire coaching career in the Midwest, will handle the unique circumstances that come at LSU.”

Critics failed to mention LSU’s culture before Kelly included the program going 11-12 from 2020-21, its worst two-season stretch since 1999-2000. The culture was in need of a refresh, and Kelly likewise needed a restart after maxing out at Notre Dame, taking the program as far as it could go. The Fighting Irish appeared in a BCS title game and two College Football Playoffs during Kelly’s tenure.

Supporters believed LSU’s pedigree — the last three Tigers head coaches won national titles — paired with Kelly’s success wherever he’s coached would give LSU the potential to build into a juggernaut. Never in anyone’s wildest dreams did the plan involve LSU representing the SEC West in the conference championship game during Kelly’s first season.

There aren’t any more questions about Kelly being a match for the Tigers. The only “fit” LSU will have to worry about in the future is when the players get sized up for their championship rings.