LSU picked as team most likely to be a bust

I agree... All pre-season I've been saying that the Gators are going to be the bust of the year. They have one of the toughest schedules in conference.

 

he's right. i mean, i dont agree with him, but you cant blame him for not being a lsu fan. i think he deserves credit for thinking about the lines. there is way too much focus on skill positions by most. with the reputation of the players that are going to be linemen you can expect them to be ok, but you never know if any of them will be studs. and just a few studs are the difference between 8-4 and 11-1. honestly, if lsu didnt have wroten last year but instead an average sec senior DL what do you think the record would have been?

every team has unknowns, but i bet lsu has more than most in both lines.

 

First off, he basically says his "post-spring" poll is useless---why even publish one? What, the college football beat writer for the nation's largest sports mag can't focus properly on teams until after, say, April? He can't tell the difference between 5-6 and # 5 in the country some 90 days into the offseason?

That's just pathetic.

As for his 3 problem areas, #1 doesn't even exist, IMO. LSU has no more of a QB controversy than does USC---both plan to let talented QBs show their stuff going into August, but neither said anything about a set QB rotation, as Phat Phil did in 2005. Fact of life that, if you have rosters loaded with studs, you let 'em get a full and fair fight for each starting spot during the offseason.

How else can you play "the best 22 guys" if you don't let 'em compete and earn it ?

#2 is a valid point, though I personally am not that concerned.

#3 is overblown. Again, LSU's RB "problems" in terms of who returns and who doesn't is dwarfed by USC (who, without looking, I am sure sits in Mandell's top 10).

I never email these hacks, usually, but I will this time. Let's see if he has the nuts to put his $$ where his mouth is---I'll go $500 for starters that LSU goes 9-2 or better.

Asswipe. :angryfire

 

Well, calling them "a complete liability" is kinda strong. The stats are fairly mixed---pedestrian run, excellent passing stats. Rushing offense averaged 3.7 ypc in 2005--identical almost to the yard with 2006 media darling Notre Dame. Passing offense was quite good, something that doesn't happen if the QB doesn't have time to make reads and deliver, hence the "mixed" comment.

FUN WITH STATS:

LSU's total rushing stats did place them in fourth place (good, right?)

In the state of Louisiana (UL-L, UL-Monroe, La Tech--maybe not so good).

If comparisons to ultra run-heavy teams like Navy and Rice are unfair in your mind, try the pro-style heavy SEC.

LSU finished middle of the pack (#6).

(PS-South Carolina won 7 games while finishing *11th* in the SEC in rushing at 3.0 ypc. Dead last was "Hoddy Toddy", by the way. Man, is the Ol' Ball Coach a freaking coaching witch or what??)

 

Agreed. RB is a position where a talented true freshman can make a real impact (like JV did in 2003).

 

A fourth point that has made me nervous about this season I think has been overlooked in this thread. Last season we were 11-2 but could have very very easily ended up in the tank. Examples: Have that TD in the ASU game called incomplete (which I think it might have been), miss the come back in the FL game, blow the OT in the AU game, blow the OT in the Bummer game, or let Arky get out of BR with a win. I don't want to diss last year's team, but they definitely had many a close game. This year, we could get better and do worse. Especially taking into account the three points that Mandel made.

Call me a nervous nelly, but I am worried about this season. Of course all that worry will be gone at the end of the Fall practice. Those questions will be answered in my homer-centric mind. They always are and I am always predicting an unbeaten season.

 

This is what I expect. A better team, but with the schedule & such, I don't think we can expect a better record.

 

man that is just not right

 

lsu's qb situation is quite different from usc's for two main reasons.

lsu is returning a starting qb--usc is not.
lsu has a backup with one helluva performance under his belt--usc doesnt.

like mandel points out, that showing by flynn in the peach bowl may hurt this years team (i think thats overstated--it certainly creates potential for controversy though). if jr struggles even as little as he did last year the calls for flynn will be much stronger (and the staff will have more reason to consider the switch). the real question is--will there come a point where many of the players want the switch to be made?

 

One question.
What happens IF Flynn beats out JR in the fall? Then would this be considered a controversy?