LSU might just be..

[OUinFLA]

the best team in college football right now.

I have only watched a couple of partial games of theirs this year, but last night, they put on a clinic. They have some very skillful athletes and they seem to be powerful as well. Notre Dame didnt have a chance in that game, and Quinn is no slouch as a qb. I thought the game would be closer, but LSU came to show the football world something last night.

It kinda reminded me of when Florida went out to the Fiesta to play Nebraska. They just got pounded all game. Last night, the Domers got crushed.

Much as I hate myself for sayng this, Lester had his team prepared, conditioned, and they execuited their plays very well. That LSU qb is gonna be one heck of a pro player I think. LSU just has it all together right now, I would put good money on them against any other team in the top 10.

[TopDawg]

The fact that LSU lost two games this year says more about Lester than the fact that he was able to roll over an overmatched Sugar Bowl opponent.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

I asked Mrs. THA how did they NOT win the SEC and how come they aren't in the MNC game?

They seemed that good. But then, ND could have had something to do with that...

I wish we had gotten ND and BSU got LSU...

[TUSooner]

Though I'm a virulent LSU hater, I'm not stupid. They are good, and they are hot. I'd take them to beat anybody* in the country if they played them next weekend at a neutral site (even though I'd be cheering for the other guys**).


*Even BSu. :D

**Except maybe BSu.

[Crimsontothecore]

The SEC's version of texas with VY.

[OK2LA]

Don't forget that they needed a last second touchdown to beat a horrible MSU team, and I think that game was at home at night. On any given night anyone can beat anyone. I've witnessed that several times this year. Lsu is hot, and well prepared, but ND didn't have a chance, just like advertised. That score last night should've/could've been worse.

[batonrougesooner]

I would take LSU right now against OSU/USC/Florida.

Saban left him some talent, no doubt. Les just needs to figure out how to not mess this deal up. Especially now that Saban is back in the SEC.

Tusga-vegas is only a five hour drive from Baton Rouge, a fact which won't be lost on most Louisiana recruits.

[jwlynn64]

Some of the QB's quotes last night showed him to be a jackass. I read where he self evaluated himself to probably be the best QB in the game right now. It's OK to think it but it just shows lack of class to actually say it!

[boomersooner28]

LSU is good, BUT I think it had more to do with Notre Dame being wayyyy over-rated, like always.

[RedstickSooner]

I'd take Florida over LSU. I think it's a little retarded to be coronating LSU the greatest team in the land when the other contenders haven't played in a month.

With how badly Michigan got their asses handed to them after playing Ohio State to a hair's breadth of a loss, I think Florida has a real good shot at winning the shootin' match.

USC would probably give LSU or Florida a heckuva fight, as well, unfortunately. They seemed to suffer this season from the same problem we did in 2003 with K-State, and 2001 & 2002 with some sucky teams -- they couldn't maintain the intensity against lame foes. However, top to bottom, 5+ years of best-in-the-nation recruiting makes is so the only team that can really beat USC is USC. Even Vince "Playing like he wanted to re-invent the Game" Young had a close call in his win over the University of Spoiled Children.

Recruiting, as much as it galls us, plays a huge role in college football -- something The King entirely understood. Seems we're falling just a bit behind some of the other top-tier programs in this area, and combined with losing Mike Stoops and his affinity for gameplanning the Big Game, we're approaching a very crucial season.

If we do well with whoever we start at QB, and have a 10 win season, we'll be able to arrest or reverse any recruiting issues (particularly if we beat Tejas). If we have a 4 loss season, we'll officially be in decline. And we won't crawl back out easily. Success breeds success, but failure entrenches failure.

Foes used to get scared silly of Stoops in a big game. Now I'm the one who gets scared silly to see Stoops in a big game. In your heart of hearts, I'll bet a lot of you fellow fans feel the same way, don't you?

It's not a knock - it's not a call for his head. It's a simple acknowledgement of the fact that I no longer feel like I'm king of the world going into a big game rooting for my Sooners. I feel like I'm walking tightrope over an abyss - and that at some point during the game I'm gonna slip and fall in.

Because it keeps happening, over & over again.

[jthomas666]

LSU definitely has the most raw talent in the SEC, and with the possible exceptions of USC and OSU, possibly the country.

But at times they play very undiscplined football--not just Russell, but all of them. You could see times early in the second half where LSU started making stupid mistakes because they thought they had already broken ND. And at those times, Les Miles looks like a five year-old behind the wheel of a muscle car, desparately trying to regain control of a vehicle that has too much power for him to handle.

Florida beat them by using patience and scheming, just waiting for them to make a mistake. Auburn beat them with terrible officiating.

[TUSooner]

I'd take Florida over LSU. I think it's a little retarded to be coronating LSU the greatest team in the land when the other contenders haven't played in a month.

With how badly Michigan got their asses handed to them after playing Ohio State to a hair's breadth of a loss, I think Florida has a real good shot at winning the shootin' match.

USC would probably give LSU or Florida a heckuva fight, as well, unfortunately. They seemed to suffer this season from the same problem we did in 2003 with K-State, and 2001 & 2002 with some sucky teams -- they couldn't maintain the intensity against lame foes. However, top to bottom, 5+ years of best-in-the-nation recruiting makes is so the only team that can really beat USC is USC. Even Vince "Playing like he wanted to re-invent the Game" Young had a close call in his win over the University of Spoiled Children.

Recruiting, as much as it galls us, plays a huge role in college football -- something The King entirely understood. Seems we're falling just a bit behind some of the other top-tier programs in this area, and combined with losing Mike Stoops and his affinity for gameplanning the Big Game, we're approaching a very crucial season.

If we do well with whoever we start at QB, and have a 10 win season, we'll be able to arrest or reverse any recruiting issues (particularly if we beat Tejas). If we have a 4 loss season, we'll officially be in decline. And we won't crawl back out easily. Success breeds success, but failure entrenches failure.

Foes used to get scared silly of Stoops in a big game. Now I'm the one who gets scared silly to see Stoops in a big game. In your heart of hearts, I'll bet a lot of you fellow fans feel the same way, don't you?

It's not a knock - it's not a call for his head. It's a simple acknowledgement of the fact that I no longer feel like I'm king of the world going into a big game rooting for my Sooners. I feel like I'm walking tightrope over an abyss - and that at some point during the game I'm gonna slip and fall in.

Because it keeps happening, over & over again.
Nice post. I don't know how I could forget USC. That is the one team that I would pick to beat LSU if they played at a neutral field next weekend. But It might be pretty close. In the long run, Florida or tOSU might beat LSU more times than not, but I just have a sick feeling that LSU would handle them right now.

As for recuiting, USC looks untouchable, but even they can't recruit everybody. I hope our defeats in the limelight don't hurt us too much.

Your description of us entering a big game these days captures how I feel -- "walking tightrope over an abyss" and pretty sure of falling. In fact, it sums up how I felt in several regular season games this year. ;)

We've got to do something different in prepping & planning for big games, because whatever we've done recently has not worked. More bad "big games" could mean fewer good players, and then NO big games.

[BIG_IKE]

Wow...crowning LSU simply for beating Notre Dame is playing right into the medias hands...

Notre Dame has been blown out three times this year.
They were getting blown out my MSU and staged a comeback. They even had to pull out all the bells and whistles to beat Air Force.

Thrashing the Commanders In Chiefs Cup winner does not get LSU points with me.

[LSUdeek]

LSU definitely has the most raw talent in the SEC, and with the possible exceptions of USC and OSU, possibly the country.

But at times they play very undiscplined football--not just Russell, but all of them. You could see times early in the second half where LSU started making stupid mistakes because they thought they had already broken ND. And at those times, Les Miles looks like a five year-old behind the wheel of a muscle car, desparately trying to regain control of a vehicle that has too much power for him to handle.

Florida beat them by using patience and scheming, just waiting for them to make a mistake. Auburn beat them with terrible officiating.

LSU made too many mistakes against Florida. We turned it over on the goal line after two separate touchdowns were called back -- we could have gone up 14-7. We were dominating the game offensively at that point. They took the ball down the field and scored.... and that basically let the air out of our collective sails.

[starrca23]

I'm still not sold on Russell as a great player.

[ouwapiti]

is the Perilloux kid still 'grabbing some bench' at LSU?????????...havent heard anything about him since he was popping off about his prowess a couple of years ago.........

[snp]

The SEC's version of texas with VY.

Because their QB is black? Russel is nothing like VY.

[BIG_IKE]

Because their QB is black? Russel is nothing like VY.
Yeah...you beat me to it. I was just about to mention that. That's quite an Aggie comment, and not the orange ones.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

LSU made too many mistakes against Florida. We turned it over on the goal line after two separate touchdowns were called back -- we could have gone up 14-7. We were dominating the game offensively at that point. They took the ball down the field and scored.... and that basically let the air out of our collective sails.

Yeah, but that's been LSU's M.O. How in the world do you have to come from behind in the last minute at home to beat Ole Miss? Jamarcus is a great talent but he is wildly inconsistent. Give me Troy Smith over JR anyday.

[MrKurt]

Didn't Notre Dame make Michigan and USC look the same way?

[TUSooner]

Wow...crowning LSU simply for beating Notre Dame is playing right into the medias hands...

Notre Dame has been blown out three times this year.
They were getting blown out my MSU and staged a comeback. They even had to pull out all the bells and whistles to beat Air Force.

Thrashing the Commanders In Chiefs Cup winner does not get LSU points with me.
I didn't even watch LSU that much vs ND. That they blew them out was not that impressive by itself, but on top of the way they finished the year, it shows they are plenty good.

[TUSooner]

Didn't Notre Dame make Michigan and USC look the same way?
Well, USC isn't too bad, is they?

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Well, USC isn't too bad, is they?

Florida State's not that impressed.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

The fact that LSU lost two games this year says more about Lester than the fact that he was able to roll over an overmatched Sugar Bowl opponent.

remember FSU in the late 80's?

[picasso]

Some of the QB's quotes last night showed him to be a jackass. I read where he self evaluated himself to probably be the best QB in the game right now. It's OK to think it but it just shows lack of class to actually say it!
he can throw a good deep ball but his spot passing sucks big time. he missed an easy short slant for a TD.

and, IF he was that good his team would be undefeated right now.

[jwlynn64]

Last time I checked, Football is a team sport. The QB doesn't win or lose games all by himself. The fact that they lost two games doesn't necessarily condemn him as a bad QB.

[soonerinabilene]

...proof that having a good coach isnt always THAT important.

[TopDawg]

remember FSU in the late 80's?

No

[picasso]

Last time I checked, Football is a team sport. The QB doesn't win or lose games all by himself. The fact that they lost two games doesn't necessarily condemn him as a bad QB.
no I agree with that. what I'm saying is that LSU is as loaded as anyone in the country, if they had the best QB in college football they might be undefeated right now.
he's good but not that good.

[OSUAggie]

So... Didn't Lester become the first LSU coach to have back-to-back 10+ win seasons? So LSU just wins most of time despite his lack of coaching?

[OUstud]

OU probably would have beaten ND soundly. They suck and they don't even know it because the media sings their praises all year long, then when they get blown out we have to listen to why they had the talent disadvantage, how Weis will get them to the top, blah blah blah. It's easy to have 10 wins when you play all of our service academies.

[Since71ASooner4Life]

With how badly Michigan got their asses handed to them after playing Ohio State to a hair's breadth of a loss, I think Florida has a real good shot at winning the shootin' match.

The Michigan @ Ohio State game + Michigan USC RoseBowl + Wisconsin getting outplayed by Arkansas, convinced me the Big 10 is overrated, and Florida will win the NC. I never believed from day one that Ohio State could lose 5 1st round NFL picks and be all that good still, and their game against Michgian raised more doubt. The USC wipping of Michigan removed any remaining doubt. Florida wins by 10~14 points.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

I think LSU top to bottom probably has as much talent as any team in the country right now (including USC and Ohio St) but they aren't as well coached and right now they still have a bunch of Saban's players. They will continue to be good but I don't think quite as good in a few years.

I think there are a number of teams that could look real good playing ND. I shudder to think how many yards Ohio St would put up on them this year. Probably more than last year.

[snp]

So... Didn't Lester become the first LSU coach to have back-to-back 10+ win seasons? So LSU just wins most of time despite his lack of coaching?

I laughed pretty hard when I heard that.

[OklahomaSooners]

Remember that team that plays on a blue field??? they are undefeated!!!