Brian Kelly reacts to LSU's No. 14 position in initial College Football Playoff ranking

After weeks of using the AP poll to rank teams, the college football calendar has officially turned. We now have the College Football Playoff rankings, with the debut show being on Tuesday night. Teams across the country found out where they stand in the eyes of the selection committee, including LSU.

The Tigers are No. 14 in the initial CFP rankings, with no other two-loss team being above them. Head coach Brian Kelly was asked for his reaction to their initial spot, saying he does not put too much stock into it. Being in a good position is nice on Nov. 1 but at the end of the day, it’s all about December when conference championships and the final four are being determined.

“It’s really where you’re ranked in December,” Kelly said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “These earlier rankings… it’s early in the race. Everybody is jockeying for position. It’s much better to be undefeated at this time because you allow yourself a little better of an opportunity.”

For the second year in a row, LSU watched the debut College Football Playoff rankings with two losses. He knows from experience about the race still being in the early stages. Coming in at No. 10 to begin the 2022 season, the Tigers eventually got up to No. 5.

Had they not lost to Texas A&M in the final game of the regular season, they could have been playing for a top-four spot in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Two losses mean there is a tough hill to climb but the blueprint is there.

With the experience, Kelly knows what the message to his team needs to be — take everything just a game at a time. If LSU can just win their remaining matchups, things will sort themselves out.

“For us, it’s one game at a time,” Kelly said. “The focus is on our preparation and our process. So, it’s great to be ranked but it doesn’t change the way we go about our business from week to week.”

Well, the next game for LSU is quite an important one. They will be traveling to Tuscaloosa for a matchup against Alabama, one likely deciding the SEC West. As usual with Alabama-LSU, it’s going to be a high-stakes matchup.

If the Tigers come out on top, you can bet they will be ranked a whole lot higher than 14th next Tuesday.