Opening kickoff remains about 3 months away, but the future of LSU football is beginning to come into focus. What does the crystal ball say? Look for LSU to be in the hunt for the SEC West title, but fall short of a repeat as national champions. Here’s a look at the strengths and question marks surrounding the Bayou Bengals in 2008:
Strengths
Defensive Line- No Glenn Dorsey? Have no fear, the Tigers are still big, strong, and athletic along the line of scrimmage. Ricky Jean-Francois bears the Cajun last name and helps anchor a line flanked by Kirsten Pittman and Tyson Jackson, who combined for 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss last year.
Pure Talent- Being a national powerhouse has it’s advantages, one of which is easier recruiting. LSU has top-tier speed and talent throughout the entire roster, from receivers to linebackers to water boys. As starters graduate or go pro, there’s an All-American backup waiting for his turn to shine.
Coaching- Despite the fact that former Defensive Coordinator Bo Pellini has moved on to take the head coaching job at Nebraska, the Tigers will still be a consistent and well-coached football team. Les Miles has established himself as one of the top 5 elite coaches in the nation. Signing Rich Rodriguez was a boon for the mighty Michigan Wolverines, but he was choice #2, behind Les Miles.
Concerns
Quarterback- Problem 1A, absolutely the biggest question mark on the team. LSU was slated to have a great returning signal caller in Ryan Perrilloux, but he was kicked off the team for disciplinary issues. Now it’s down to redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch. Neither has secured the starting job, which doesn’t mean they’re both great, it means neither has stepped up into that role yet.
Inexperience- There’s no way around losing 7 starters on defense. LSU has plenty of talent to fill in the gaps but 3 new starters in the secondary alone is cause for concern. Georgia’s Matthew Stafford and Florida’s Tim Tebow, both with fully-loaded offenses, plus overhauled offenses in Auburn and Alabama, and not to mention Steve Spurrier, make for an awfully tough road for such a young defense.
Schedule - As mentioned above, any weakness for an SEC team is going to be schedule. A stretch of 4 out of 5 games are at Auburn, at Florida, at South Carolina, followed by Georgia at home. They also have Alabama at home and finish at Arkansas. Even a good team could drop 3 of those games easily.
Overview
If you believe in coaching and talent, LSU could still win the SEC West. If they develop young players very quickly and catch some big breaks, they could potentially be a national title contender again. However in all likelihood the loss of Perrilloux at quarterback, the youngsters on defense and the schedule will overwhelm the Tigers’ run for a repeat. Look for LSU to have a strong year but not to hoist the crystal football again in January.
