I still blame USCe for that game they should not have lost at home to a 40+ point dog:angryfire. And the rest of the Big 10 for laying eggs all along last year.
No defending champion lost two games the year before, either. you take last years team, remove a very capable qb :milesmic: and upgrade the schedule a few notches---reasonable for non-LSU fans to look at that and say LSU will be hard pressed to have less than 2 losses. and i didnt even mention the effect of losing hester and dorsey on the public perception.
Once again, preseason ranking should have ZERO to do with schedule strength. Preseason polls should be strictly a ranking of how good the teams are if you line them up against the same schedule. NOT a prediction of where they'll end up. I think preseason pollsters have too much of an ego.
That's not my point. I don't care how many losses LSU had last year. Look at the other contenders. Only Kansas finished with one loss. It's relative. The fact remains that LSU is the reigning National Champion and deserves a top 5 pre-season ranking. When Texas lost Vince Young, they were no better than a top 15 team, yet the respect for having won the year before got them in the top 5. Frankly, if RP was still here, I'd be more inclined to downplay our chances. No way the guy gets through the season and we'd be bringing our new QB in with no prep.
EXACTLY! If you knock a team down a notch because of a tough schedule, they have TWO hills to climb then. One is the tough schedule, and the other is being behind in the polls beofre a game is even played.
So, let's see: Last year, lost a couple that should have been won (including a BAD one at home) remove Idaho and Nebraska from schedule and put Virginia and OSU. Remove 2 year starter at QB who was "very capable". And start the year at #2
