All the argument above are very valid. The major reason LSU is so far behind is strength of schedule. SOS is a major component of the computer rankings so it is a double whammy. The BCS eliminated margin of victory a couple of years which hurts also. LSU opponent's record to date: UL Monroe 1-8 Arizona 1-8 Western Illinois 6-3 (however does not count toward BCS) Mississippi State 2-6 Georgia 7-2 Florida 6-3 South Carolina 5-4 Auburn 6-3 Louisiana Tech 4-5 Who knew Arizona was going to be so bad when LSU scheduled them. Who knew Marshall was going to back-out and we would have to replace them with Western Illinois. How much can we thank Skip for the novelty concepts of playing Louisiana schools every year. It sure does look good on the books but will never help your SOS. What is exactly the bottom line winning a national championship or playing 7 home games every year so we make money? Oklahoma, Miami, USC, Florida, and Florida State all are willing to give up a home game to play a good game against a quality oppenent. The computer rankings reward that behavior - just take a look at the NY Times rankings a couple of weeks ago when Notre Dame was 29th with a 2-5 record. Notre Dame SOS is one of the highest in college football. Computer ranking just care about Ws and Ls and SOS. Look at the latest Saragrin rank where Bowling Green is ranked 4th, Miami of Ohio 7th and TCU 8th - all ahead of LSU. There is only one way to solve all of this. A college playoff.
Okay, so then does that mean that Western Illinois does not hurt our SOS? Is it better to schedule a IAA team than a ULM?
Wouldn't it make more sense to rate your opponent based upon the ranking at the time of the game? For instance, Georgia was a much better team when we beat them. Since then they've been decimated by injuries. LSU's SOS suffers for something out of our control.
If that's the case then USC gets a much higher ranking because of Auburn's preseason ranking, even though they were a much better team when we played them.
It would be better to schedule ANY 1A team over a 1AA. One it counts towards bowl elidigbility. We get no credit for WIU's wins or thier opponents wins. If they had been a 1A team that is 6-3 it would help us a good bit espicially if they were in a major conference.
