Five questions as LSU, SMU announce home-and-home series: Will Brian Kelly still be coaching Tigers in 2028?
LSU and SMU are set to play a nonconference series for the first time in the history of both programs, the schools jointly announced on Monday. The pair will play in Baton Rouge on Sept. 2, 2028, and return to Dallas on Sept. 1, 2029.
The battle is the first for the two programs since 1934, when LSU and SMU tied 14-14 in Baton Rouge. The Mustangs won the only other matchup between the schools in 1922 with a 51-0 victory in Dallas. Needless to say, college football has changed substantially since then.
While the battle is set to feature two up-and-coming college football brands with national aspirations, many questions remain about what it will actually look like when the programs run into Death Valley in 2028. We asked five of the biggest questions that could impact the matchup when they finally kick off.
1. Will Brian Kelly still be at LSU?The Tigers signed Kelly to a massive 10-year contract when he left Notre Dame after the 2021 season, which is set to keep him in Baton Rouge through 2031. By the letter of the contract, Kelly should still be the head coach at LSU when this series takes place. Additionally, he has two 10-win seasons in three years. Still, pressure can come quickly at one of the best jobs in college football.
Kelly is putting a tremendous amount of focus on the 2025 season with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier back. The program also reeled in a stacked No. 1 transfer class, including a number of key contributors in the secondary. Kelly's goal was to win a national championship at LSU. The last three coaches to don purple and gold all have. If he fails, will he be granted a seventh and eighth season?
LSU is one of the most successful programs of the 21st Century with three national championships. However, SMU has quickly became a serious upstart. The Mustangs captured the 2023 AAC title and played for the ACC in 2024. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee -- a major up-and-comer -- led the program to the College Football Playoff last season.
LSU, as a program, has more recent national success, but SMU is on the rise. The program sits with a top-20 recruiting class and recently flipped receiver Jakai Anderson from LSU. To repeat, they flipped a Louisiana kid from LSU. Additionally, the Tigers have a tougher path to reach the postseason field having to go through the SEC. SMU has proven that it can contend with the best in the ACC already. The path just might be easier.
3. What will be SMU's conference affiliation?Since the matchup is only three years away, there's a chance that it will come before the next round of major movement in college athletics. However, it's no secret that the Mustangs are one of the most driven programs in college athletics.
The program forwent a television payout to join the ACC last year and managed to leverage it into a CFP appearance. There's little chance that SMU could have secured a home-and-home with the historic LSU Tigers if not for membership at the power-conference level. With a program that strives this much, everything is on the table as the college football landscape continuously shifts.
4. Are QBs for the matchup on the 2025 roster?A matchup between SMU and LSU this season would rank among the best quarterback battles on the board with Garrett Nussmeier and Kevin Jennings sitting as elite quarterback prospects. However, both teams have some thrilling young players on the roster who just might come of age in time for the 2028 season.
SMU signed four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins, one of the program's top recruits in the modern recruiting era after flipping him from TCU. LSU passed on a quarterback this class but added Mississippi State underclassman Michael Van Buren next to Colin Hurley, who could medically redshirt this year due to injuries suffered in a car accident. SMU also has a commitment from Cole Leinart, the son of former USC star QB Matt Leinart, in the Class of 2026. The matchup is sure to be interesting.
Thankfully, the home-and-home matchup between these two schools is scheduled to take place only three years from now, hopefully limiting the off-field chaos surrounding the matchups. However, the landscape of college football makes us wary of any future matchups scheduled. LSU, for example, has four nonconference games scheduled in 2029, including ones against Arizona State and SMU. If the SEC decides to move to nine conference games, will the program cancel McNeese, or even a power conference matchup?
Additionally, SMU has two road games against Power Four teams in 2028 with LSU and Vanderbilt. The historic Iron Skillet matchup against TCU is on the back burner for the moment but could come back in the future. If the rivalry is offered back, it could make scheduling a high-powered matchup with an SEC team more complicated. It's likely that SMU and LSU will play in 2028, but in this era, it's hard to be too confident.
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