LSU & USC Are ‘Biggest Frauds’ in College Football Right Now: Damning Survey of Coaches & GMs Emerges
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While LSU and USC fans have high hopes for what their football teams can do in the new season, decision-makers and coaches around college football think they are two of the most over hyped teams in the country.
This week has been circled on the calendar of college football fans for months because Week 1 of the new season has arrived. And over the last couple of weeks, opinions and predictions about which teams and players will be the most formidable in the new season have flooded in.
On Wednesday, The Athletic released opinions from “18 coaches at all levels of FBS football, from head coaches to position coaches to analysts to general managers” on certain topics heading into the Week 1 games this weekend. When asked, “Who do you think wins the national title?” Oregon received six votes, followed by Ohio State and Notre Dame with three apiece.
LSU and USC called ‘biggest frauds’ in new The Athletic survey
The survey also asked the opposite question. On “Which team do you think is the biggest fraud and is getting overhyped?” the answer may surprise many college football fans. LSU led the way with seven votes, followed by USC with four. The next highest vote-getters were Texas and Ohio State with two each.
“I think all these things that are happening around LSU right now are gonna end up being too much of a distraction,” a head coach from the Mountain West said.
“LSU. I think it’ll be hard for them to build team chemistry. I could see them imploding,” a defensive coordinator from a rival school added.
The Tigers have been at the center of a major controversy. The school has decided to sign a couple of athletes who were playing for NFL teams this summer despite serious pushback to the idea from around the country, including inside the SEC.
Although the Trojans had a better season in 2025 by winning nine games and have a potential Heisman finalist in Jayden Maiava at QB, head coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t put together a double-digit-win season since his debut in 2022 (11-3). So it is not shocking that many around the sport are not high USC’s chances of reaching the college football playoffs for the first time this year.
Also Read: 2026 College Football Week 1 QB Rankings: Where Does Arch Manning Land in Our Top 10?
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