With representatives from the Sugar Bowl watching, the Tigers (9-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) moved within a game of Mississippi in the SEC West heading into next week's showdown in Oxford and kept pace with Southern California and Ohio State in the BCS standings. But LSU will have a hard time moving up from fourth to second in the standings that determine who plays for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl unless Ohio State and USC lose. The Tigers have played the weakest schedule of those three teams, a key component in the BCS standings. The way the Tigers have played of late, they showed they can compete with just about anybody. Since a 19-7 loss to Florida last month, LSU has outscored its last four opponents 140-27. Lavalais anchors a dominating defense that allows only 6.7 points per game, best in the nation, and Mauck has been extremely efficient since struggling against the Gators. The Tigers have their highest ranking in the AP poll in 42 years.
