With all due respect to the Penn State White Out, Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge at night is a cut above.
The fans in Death Valley are so intense that their reactions have twice registered on seismographs — in 1988 and again in 2022 — capturing the visceral energy of the venue at its peak.
Penn State is cinematic. LSU is cannibalism — raw, relentless and unlike anything else in college football.
Current head coach Brian Kelly watched an 18–14 lead to Texas A&M disintegrate as his defense surrendered 35 unanswered points, leaving the fiery coach — known for his sideline meltdowns — uncharacteristically speechless during postgame.
Tiger Stadium emptied to a chorus of “Fire Kelly” chants following yet another big-game collapse, and it didn’t take long for the ones chanting to get their wish.
It’s been just four years since Kelly arrived in Baton Rouge, complete with a fake Southern accent and his infamous “fam-uh-lee” introduction.
Now, the question looms: Is LSU a better opening than Penn State?
Last week, I wrote that Penn State’s head coaching vacancy was unrivaled, based on the landscape of open and potentially open jobs. But the latest developments in the Bayou may change that equation.
LSU closes the gap — and, in my opinion, surpasses Penn State as the more attractive job.
To be clear, Penn State offers more stability. Had James Franklin won just a few more of those top-10 matchups, he’d still be in Happy Valley.
LSU, on the other hand, operates on a much shorter leash.
When Les Miles was fired midseason in 2016, LSU was 2–2, ranked No. 5 to start the year, and lost to an unranked Wisconsin at Lambeau Field to open the season. After a second loss to Auburn, LSU ended the Miles era after a 114-34 record, two SEC Championships, winning a national championship in 2007, and playing for another in 2011. That’s how ruthless the expectations are in Baton Rouge.
Beyond that, nearly every other aspect of LSU’s program is either equal to or better than Penn State’s.
Financially, both programs are giants: Penn State athletics generated $220 million in revenue last year, which was slightly more than LSU.
In terms of facilities, LSU is entrenched in the Top 10 nationally, consistently upgrading its infrastructure. Penn State, meanwhile, is just now cracking the Top 30, with room to grow in the Beaver Stadium Revitalization and Lasch Building/locker room upgrades.
Recruiting? The edge clearly belongs to LSU.
Penn State’s Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey) and DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) pipelines are strong, but LSU’s local recruiting model is proven. When the Tigers lock down Louisiana and supplement it with top talent from East Texas, the results speak for themselves: three national championships this century built on that foundation.
Penn State hasn’t come close to matching that output in the 21st century.
Florida has two national titles in that span, but outside of the Urban Meyer years, the Gators have been largely ordinary. LSU, meanwhile, has had three different head coaches — Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron — win national championships, and appeared in a fourth title game in 2011 after finishing the regular season undefeated.
The Tigers have reached eight SEC Championship Games, winning five — dwarfing Penn State’s three conference championships and a split in two Big Ten title game appearances.
The bar in Baton Rouge is simply higher. It has been for decades, because LSU has consistently achieved what Penn State has spent nearly 40 years chasing: another national championship.
When it comes to potential candidates, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady would immediately become a name to watch. If Brady decides to return to the college game, LSU would be a natural fit — after all, it was his historic 2019 offense that turned him into one of football’s brightest young minds.
Beyond Brady, an LSU opening would further shrink the already-limited pool of elite coaching candidates. I fully expect an amazing tug of war for Lane Kiffin between LSU and Florida.
Many expect Auburn and Florida State to eventually make moves, but both programs remain inferior to Penn State as job openings. Florida would also be a step down.
But LSU? That’s a cut above.
Kelly’s three predecessors each won a national championship by their fourth season. With Alabama looming after the bye week and playoff hopes already dashed, the pressure in Baton Rouge is only intensifying.
For Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, fulfilling his prophecy of bringing a national championship to Happy Valley just got harder.
Because LSU isn’t just a comparable program — it’s one with the same complete package, plus the championships to prove it.
