Paul Finebaum: LSU is crashing, burning, eyes on Ed Orgeron

Coming off of losses versus Auburn and Kentucky, the LSU Tigers are a far cry from their 2019 National Championship glory. Ed Orgeron’s seat was hot after the Auburn loss and it’s smoking now after dropping to 3-3.

SEC analyst Paul Finebaum has lost all faith in Coach O and shared as much on the ESPN College Football Podcast.

“What happened last night in Lexington, there was a moment where if you would’ve switched uniforms, you would’ve thought Kentucky was LSU and LSU was Kentucky, that’s the state of the program,” co-host Matt Barrie said.

“The problem for Ed Orgeron is the schedule,” Paul Finebaum said. “That was possibly the easiest win, it’s insane now, he has Florida this weekend, he has Ole Miss, Arkansas, Alabama and then there’s Texas A&M at the end.

“I find it virtually impossible that Ed Orgeron will be there at the end of the season.”

The LSU Tigers are at .500 since first-rounder Joe Burrow left Baton Rouge. One national title is unlikely to save Coach O unless he pulls out some magic over the next five weeks. Despite reaching the mountain top of college football, mistakes have piled up.

“I want to go back two years ago, a lot of people were wondering, maybe this LSU under Ed Orgeron was for real,” Finebaum said. “He was recruiting really well, but he made rookie mistakes in personnel, he hired Bo Pelini, he said he didn’t even interview him. He has two rookie coordinators and he has a fanbase that simply isn’t going to put up with it.

“LSU had to win that game to stop the bleeding, he didn’t. I don’t think there’s a path for him, I really don’t. The 2019 comparisons just don’t matter anymore. The program isn’t ascending, it’s descending, it’s crashing and burning.”

Ed Orgeron’s job is extremely attractive

If the Tigers end up parting ways with Ed Orgeron at the end, or even before the end, of the 2021 season, it will be the hottest job in the country.

The history, proximity to the best talent in the nation, alumni base, and fans make the LSU job second only to Alabama or Georgia.

“LSU’s won three national championships under three different head coaches in the last 20 years,” Finebaum said. “(Nick) Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. I’m not saying anyone can win at LSU but almost anybody can, it’s that good of a job. It’s just too bad. I hate it for the guy because he’s a lovable character, but I don’t think he’s going to make it. He doesn’t have command of the stage.”

If and when the Ed Orgeron era comes to an end at LSU, the Tigers’ athletic director Scott Woodward will have to make a prestigious hire. The program’s dwindling national brand needs a revamp.

“Scott Woodward is a big fish hunter, he’s not going to be patient,” Matt Barrie said. “He’s not going to get just any other name.”