Did you really think LSU was going all the way this year? Don't get me wrong I bleed purple and gold but looking at what we've lost the last two years and the team we have now, to me it never really looked like this was the year. Talent wise we're at least top three in the nation but togather great talent + on field exp + new coach you get a top 10 that should be ready for the number one spot within the next two years. Is it posible that we could go all the way this year? Sure, maybe the first two games gave enough time for coaches and players to find the holes and fill them. And maybe the others in the top 5 could all lose a game, is it possible yes but let's be real. This brings up a question that i'm not sure if anyone has addressed. JR talentwise is a step up from Marcus Randell, exp yet to be seen. It sounds like RP talentwise is a step up from JR. If this is the case (I could be wrong) should RP get more than trash time this year so he can work out his growing pains and next year we can have the best QB not just talent wise but overall to lead a team that has matured to the point that it's ready to take the top BCS game? I know it's a long question but if someone has a good opinion or can prove me wrong please do!

What's all this next year talk? We have a win over #15, and a loss to #10...and both coudl be significantly higher after this weekend. If we win out, and until we don't it's still possible eh, we'll be in great shape for a big bowl. If and when we lose 3 games, then we can start playing for next year.

Michigan is out of it
Oklahoma is out of it
Iowa is out of it (sry Hawker45)

We aren't.

I did. And I still think it is possible.

I was thinking the same thing day before yesterday. I was looking back at the things we all said here during the summer, and the things we "bought into" and not to say that we shouldn't feel confident about our team coming into the season, or to say that we can't finish the regular season 11-1, but I asked myself the other night: "How did we come to the conclusion that THIS team is supposed to be BETTER than last year's??"

I mean, last year's team was 9-3 and outside of the UGA game and the bowl game, we were, maybe not satisfied, but ok. This year, it seems like if we lose 3 games, there's going to be mass sacrifice...

What I started realizing (and it's not like it took some hidden thought process to come up with it) was the obvious:

1. We lost two NFL cornerbacks and we were relying HEAVILY on a player that quite possibly is just a great nickleback and not a a front-line SEC corner. Servicable, yes...but top flight like Webster and Daniels? No. ...not yet anyways. Then we have a host of other CB's trying to be the #2 and the nickel and quite frankly, they're so close in talent, that sometimes 4 guys capable of doing the same thing might not be that great of a situation. Stevenson is coming off injury and even though he has great creditials at the JUCO level, that doesn't nec. mean he'll have that same success at the I-A level. Sammy Joseph, Chevis Jackson and Taylor are all real young and can't quite possibly be relied to have the impact that last year's combo of Webster, Daniels and Prude had.

2. We lost Lionel Turner and Marcus Spears. No newsflash, but those are two players that were huge for us ("huge" being an understatement). Turners void forces us to kind of play Cam Vaughn out of his natural position--He is talented enough to handle it, but Turner was SUCH a massive MLB, and able to stuff the run up the middle so well it allowed Vaughn and the rest of our LB's to fly around. We need Kenny Hollis to step up and hopefully, once Kuale is back healthy, we can move Cam back to his natural position--but I think Cam might just stay at "MIKE".

3. Replacing Wilkerson with Niswanger isn't terribly bad, but Niswanger at OG or tackle opposite of Whitworth makes a huge difference on the line. We have experience on the line, but experience doesn't nec. mean dominance. I will say that Brian Johnson, Helms, and the rest of the reserves are better than most teams.

4. No matter how you slice it. We STILL have a young, inexperienced QB--no matter WHO is under center. Outside of Leak, Peyton and possibly Greene, how many Soph. QB's REALLY make significant impacts in the SEC? Last year, Randall wasn't the most talented QB. He has talent, but he was more of an athlete playing QB and his experience in certain situations last season helped him to get out of some jams. If our current group of QB's were made of RS-Jr's and/or RS-Sr's, then this is a different situation.

So, having said all of that, I still hold our chances this season in positive light and as long as we're mathamatically in the SEC title hunt, I will continue to be optimistic. But I also don't want to loss sight of the things I mentioned because I don't want to get so "blown up" and bent out of shape like I was Monday night... It's just not healthy especially considering that we are hardly in prime situations with experience at CB and at QB--two VERY crucial positions.

I agree with all of your posts here but the thing that concerns me the most is what certain posters are saying about the players concerning the coaches.
I know one of those posters here is very credible and I don't know about the other.
Just being honest.

You have to consider that all of these players though, especially on defense have to
learn a new system and play defense a total different way.
I bet our defense would be 100% better even with the new players plugged in with NS's system because its a system they grew up in and knew that it worked.

I can't speak for everyone else but for me it's not the wins and losses at this point it's the way the team has played and the job the coaching staff has done. With the teams on our schedule it was likely we would have lost sooner or later but should have been favored in all. Winning a championship with a first year head coach is near impossible but playing quality ball with the returning starters and recent recruits we have should be expected. I'm not as disappointed with the loss to Tenessee as I am the pitiful gameplan and adjustments by the coaching staff. It's nothing to be ashamed of losing to #10 ranked UT but having Phil Fulmer make your staff look like a bunch of high school assistants is. Hopefully the staff will come together and get the job done, but there will have to be great improvement in a short peiod of time.

I did not expect to go all the way this year, with a soph QB, new coaching staff, 2 new cornerbacks. Since summer, my guess for the season has been 9-2, most likely case, with possible upsides if JR plays really well and Miles & Co. coached really well.

I did expect us to go out and play hard, organized, smart football.

I am disappointed to date.

The defense looked good against Tenn. in the first half, bad in the second half, bad all game against ASU.

The offense played well against ASU, poorly against Tenn. (except Addai had his moments).

I am disappointed to date.

Saban didn't look great in every game when he arrived, but he had a big rebuilding job starring him in the face early on. Miles arrived with a team stocked with 4 straight top 5 recruiting classes. This team should be playing better.

I am and was expecting NO MORE than 2 losses this year.

Nope. I never was sold on this staff. I expected two losses this year and now have raised that number to 4. And the same mediocore crap for a while.

I will be at every home game and Ole Miss pulling for the team but expectations are not what they were before the spring game.