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LSU head coach Brian Kelly is feeling the heat in Week 9 amid a 5-2 start. More News: LSU’s Brian Kelly Issues Serious Warning to Team Amid Calls for His Firing On Saturday, the Tigers dropped their second game of the season in a 31-24 loss to then-No. 17 Vanderbilt on the road. LSU's first loss of the season came to then-No. 13 Ole Miss on Sept. 27. Pressure is mounting on Kelly's squad to get a win over No. 3 Texas A&M in Week 9. A loss would put the Tigers out of the race for the College Football Playoff and would invite more scrutiny about Kelly's future in Baton Rouge. More News: Lane Kiffin Caught Joking With Ref at Kirby Smart’s Expense LSU appeared ready to take the next step under Kelly with a win over then-No. 4 Clemson in Week 1, but that victory looks less impressive as Clemson now has a 3-4 record. On Monday, Kelly seemed aware of the outside noise surrounding his program. Per Scott Rabalais of The Advocate, Kelly told reporters during his news conference that he realizes fans and the media don't think he's getting his job done during his fourth year with the Tigers. "Some are saying I'm not getting my job done now," Kelly said. "I get that. But we are working hard every single day to get our football team better." It's been a daily work in progress for four seasons. The team has been not been good enough against top-tier competition in the SEC, at least for a program that expected to enter the CFP. Kelly's squad was unable to finish against the Rebels and Commodores. The next two games could define Kelly's future at LSU. Following Saturday's game against the Aggies, LSU has a bye and then will travel to play No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 8. The Tigers need to win both to stay in the CFP conversation, but Kelly needs to win at least one to show he can coach in big games. Even going 1-1 against Texas A&M and the Crimson Tide could be problematic for Kelly, as his record against ranked teams in the SEC would be inconsistent at best. Following Saturday's loss, Kelly told the media that he warned his team to be play mistake-free football against Texas A&M, believing the Tigers can win in Week 9 and fight to make it to the SEC championship. "Then it's a four-game race to the SEC championship," Kelly said. "It's a disappointing loss (to Vandy). There's no doubt (about) it. But they've got to bounce back right to reality and know that they've got to play mistake-free against their outstanding A&M team."
