Football vs Utah St. Photo by Chris Parent
LSU
2020 Results: 5-5, 5-5 (SEC)
2021 Projection: 9-3
Crazy to ask, but could LSU coach Ed Orgeron be sitting on a hot seat before the middle of the season in 2021? Remember this is the SEC and although Orgeron led the Tigers to the national title two years ago, last season’s fall to .500 ball set off warning sirens around Baton Rouge.
While LSU parting ways with Orgeron so soon after a national title might seem weird, something similar happened at Auburn a decade ago after those Tigers won a national championship with a Heisman-winning quarterback and then fell back to Earth the next two seasons.
The two big questions facing LSU now revolve around who plays quarterback and if the Tigers can regain their lofty standing from two years ago.
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- Football vs Arkansas Photo by Beau Brune
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- Football vs Florida Photo by Chris Parent
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- Football vs Auburn Photo by Chris Parent
Offensively, Myles Brennan and Max Johnson will vie for starting duties at quarterback. The Tigers have several good young receivers but will need a lot more from tailback. Most of the line returns, giving the Tigers a solid foundation for the offense. But as in years past, the biggest question is can LSU find the right quarterback to lead the offense.
The Tigers struggled for several years at quarterback before Joe Burrow transferred in and worked his magic.
LSU’s defense gave up way too many passing yards and the defensive line was weak against the run in 2020. Look for both areas to improve with new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. Derek Stingley Jr. projects as one of the best defensive backs in college football and the linebacker and defensive line rotations look solid. If the Tigers can rebound on defense, it will help the offense out a good bit.
By mid October, fans should have a good guess as to how good LSU can be. The Tigers open against UCLA and draw home games against Auburn and Florida in early and mid October as well as a late September date against Mississippi State, the team that upset LSU to start off last season.
If the Tigers can topple UCLA and handle the two early season SEC opponents, they might be set until they have to travel to Tuscaloosa in early November. However, if LSU stumbles early and exits the SEC West race by early October, Tiger fans may not be forgiving of Orgeron no matter what his team did two years ago.
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- Football vs Florida Photo by Rebecca Warren
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- Football vs Auburn Photo by Maddie McCormick
