Why Brian Kelly says that LSU football has no margin for error. And why he's right.

BATON ROUGE - The least of Brian Kelly's concerns this week has to do with a letdown.

The first-year LSU football coach knows the Tigers didn't play up to their standards in a 38-23 loss to Texas A&M last week, and squandered any possibilities of reaching the College Football Playoff.

"Our guys know it and they care about that," Kelly said Monday. "And you can sense it and feel it over the last couple of days. From after the game in the locker room to yesterday when they had to be here for a meal.

"Even today in the training room, our guys know they let something slip away and they're upset about it."

The loss for LSU (9-3) reaffirmed a truth that Kelly suspected all along: The Tigers aren't good enough to win with just talent.

"We don't have a margin for error," Kelly said. "We have to play with grit. We have to play with fire. We have to play to our identity. And if we don't, we're not the kind of team that we need to be."

Despite the loss, LSU's fire has matched its talent more often than not this season. It's a big reason why the Tigers are facing off against No. 1 Georgia (12-0) in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday (3 p.m., CBS).

LSU shocked Alabama this season. It captured gutty wins over Auburn, Arkansas and Florida. Even in their loss to Florida State to open the year, the Tigers played with plenty of fight despite not playing well.

For reasons that have escaped Kelly, LSU didn't have that same fight against Texas A&M. The Tigers got dominated at the line of scrimmage and were run all over by an Aggies offense that failed to score more than 30 points against an FBS team until that game.

KELLY ON THE STATE OF LSUBrian Kelly gives update on LSU football ahead of SEC Championship Game vs Georgia

CAN LSU FOOTBALL UPSET GEORGIA?How LSU football can beat Georgia in SEC Championship after Texas A&M loss. Is it even possible?

LSU FOOTBALL QUESTIONSDid losing to Texas A&M ruin the season for LSU? 5 questions before SEC Championship Game

In the Pac-12 or ACC, perhaps the Tigers could have won with a performance that flat. But in the SEC, that's not possible. Even when it comes against Texas A&M, which entered the game with one SEC victory.

"There are just too many talented players. And if you're not ready to play and play at your best, you'll get beat," Kelly said. "That's the SEC West."

The only program in the conference where that logic probably doesn't apply is LSU's opponent this week.

Georgia is the No. 1 team for a reason. No other team in the country has a top-five offense and defense, according to ESPN's College Football Power Index.

The Bulldogs are undefeated despite having not always played up to their standards this year. They surrendered 22 points to Kent State and nearly lost to Missouri in the first half of the season. They also only scored one touchdown against Kentucky two weeks ago and failed to takeover the game against Georgia Tech last week until the second half.

For a program that won the national championship last year and has dominated former College Football Playoff contenders Tennessee and Oregon this year, none of those games should have ever been close.

LSU has the talent to hang with anyone in the country, including Georgia. But, as Saturday proved, the Tigers' roster deficiencies are bad enough to lose to almost any opponent. LSU has two freshmen starting on their offensive line, only three healthy scholarship running backs, poor depth on their defensive line and a freshman as its only playmaking tight end.

It's a talented but flawed roster. That was to be expected when Kelly took over a program that only had 39 scholarship players. The Tigers are good but they have to play with at their best to win in the SEC.

Especially if they intend on winning the SEC Championship.

"Our guys have had the opportunity to play the best and this is another opportunity for us to be challenged," Kelly said. "And so we're excited."

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Brian Kelly says LSU football has no room for error in SEC