BATON ROUGE ? LSU has this getting to No. 1 thing down pat. Play amazingly poor for stretches early against an overmatched in-state opponent, but win by a score that suggests start-to-finish dominance. So how bad was LSU 58, Louisiana Tech 10 on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium? It wasn't Tulane in late September, but the aroma sure seemed familiar ? especially in the first half. Maybe, though, that was to be expected after the team had endured four straight epics. But regardless of lacking style points, LSU should now be back on top of every major poll today. And, of all things, thanks to a big win by a Ron Zook team after Illinois shocked No. 1 Ohio State, 28-21, at the 'Shoe. And with Auburn and Alabama both losing Saturday, the Tigers assured themselves of a spot in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 1 in Atlanta. "It's all great. Really it is," LSU cornerback Jonathan Zenon said. "But we have to finish strong to be where we want to be. That's just the way it is. "All we can do is control the things we can do and that's one play at a time and one game at a time ? that's it. We've been in this position before." Actually twice. This will be the third time an LSU team will be ranked No. 1 in the country in-season, should the major polls reflect what the general consensus is following Ohio State's loss. And neither of those previous stops had staying power. In 1959, after winning the program's first national championship the year before, the Tigers opened at No. 1 and remained there for seven games before losing to No. 13 Tennessee. This season, the stay lasted one game before a triple-overtime loss at Kenucky. "I enjoy the position," said LSU coach Les Miles, who celebrated his 54th birthday with a serenade from the school's student body following the win. "But it doesn't relieve us of the responsibility to play this Saturday (at Ole Miss) and thereafter. It's like being (excited about) No. 1 before No. 1 counts." Looking ahead, LSU's (9-1) road to the national title game comes in three segments ? Ole Miss, Arkansas and most likely Tennessee for the SEC championship. Oregon (8-1), expected to slide up a spot to No. 2 behind LSU, has Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State remaining; Ohio State (10-1) has just this week's trip to Michigan for the Big Ten title left; Kansas' (10-0) claim will come should the Jayhawks finish undefeated by beating Iowa State and Missouri; Oklahoma (9-1) remains viable with games left against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The feel of the night would have been perfect had LSU played better, because the first half ? much like the fiasco in the Superdome against Tulane ? was extremely spotty. Remember that 10-9 Tiger lead at the break against the Green Wave? It sure felt a lot like LSU's 27-7 advantage against the Bulldogs. But after giving up 168 total yards by the break, LSU's defense allowed the Bulldogs just 88 yards in the second half, and created five total turnovers. Offensively, after a shaky start with two interceptions in the first half, quarterback Matt Flynn rallied to pass for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe this night didn't quite match all the hype after the Ohio State loss. Maybe there was too much expectation on homecoming. It certainly wasn't Hester's 2-yard plunge to beat Florida with 1:09 left, or a 22-yard, game-winning TD catch by Demetrius Byrd with one second to play against Auburn, or the dramatic rally to beat Alabama last week on a 1-yard leap by Hester with just over one minute to play. It was Tulane Part II ? Louisiana Tech. Yawn. And, in that respect, we got what we paid for ? cheap entertainment. And that's No. 1 on any budget. Link To Original Article
