Skip Bayless drops ‘refund’ claim after Alabama takes down Lane Kiffin’s LSU

No. 14 LSU suffered a 31-13 home loss to No. 5 Alabama on Saturday at Tiger Stadium, dropping to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play. Following the defeat, popular sports analyst Skip Bayless took to social media with a pointed remark about Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin's seven-year, $91 million contract.

"LSU is going to want a refund," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The result brought another setback for Kiffin, who arrived in Baton Rouge after leaving Ole Miss. The Tigers entered the contest with expectations of competing for a national championship, but their third defeat of the season has left their College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. LSU's chances of reaching the postseason dropped from 51% to 25% after Saturday's loss, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.

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While the Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide 457-285, they repeatedly came up empty when it mattered the most. Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 35 of 47 passes for 380 yards but failed to throw a touchdown and was intercepted once. He also took four sacks. Running back Jackson Harris contributed 166 receiving yards on 11 catches, while tight end Trey'Dez Green added 10 receptions for 85 yards.

However, LSU's inability to finish drives came back to ultimately haunt the team. The Tigers converted none of their four fourth-down attempts, resulting in the most fourth-down failures of Kiffin's coaching career. LSU also reached the red zone four times but managed only one touchdown and one field goal. Moreover, the Tigers missed a 56-yard field goal attempt.

LSU moved ahead 13-10 late in the third quarter through Dilin Jones' five-yard touchdown run, but that advantage lasted less than three minutes before the Crimson Tide responded with a touchdown pass from quarterback Keelon Russell to tight end Josh Ford.

Alabama then added two more touchdowns to complete a 21-point unanswered run. Russell finished with 206 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing. Ryan Coleman-Williams also played a major role, returning a punt 32 yards to set up the Crimson Tide's fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

The defeat extended the Tigers' disappointing run against Alabama. LSU has now lost four consecutive meetings to the Crimson Tide, all by double-digit margins, and seven of their last eight games against them at home. Kiffin also remains winless versus Alabama as a head coach , falling to 0-6 in his career against the program.

Speaking after the game, Kiffin described the performance as "really disappointing" and acknowledged that the offensive production should have resulted in considerably more points. He also admitted he did not expect his team to be 6-3 at this stage of the season.

The Tigers now face another big challenge, with a home game against a top-10 Texas team scheduled for next week. LSU will need to win its remaining games and receive considerable help elsewhere to have a realistic opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff.