Is it too early to believe the hype behind the Tigers this season? If we take a look at the current AP Polls, LSU has earned the #5 spot on the charts. We will not be seeing LSU make the playoffs this year with powerhouses like Georgia and Alabama left on the schedule. Not to mention the scrappy, high powered offenses at Texas A&M and Mississippi State (Both ranked in the Top 25 in yards per game). For the Tigers it comes down to one thing: Offense.
Offensive Deficiencies
Your current #5 team in the country is ranked 106th in yards per game (and passing yards per game), 66th in points per game, and 11 out of 12 in total offense in the SEC. Only team behind LSU… the miserably bad Tennessee Volunteers. It’s needless to say that being next to the Vols in anything this season is a really, really bad thing. LSU managed to pull of an unlikely upset at Auburn earlier this season but never showed a glimpse of offense all game. A strong defense, who shows up to play, versus a mediocre offense (Auburn is at 46th) will always prevail.
2016 Texas A&M
Anyone remember this picture?
Yeah real genius move there guys. That Aggies team finished the season at a WHOPPING 8-5 aka Kevin Sumlin’s Wet Dream.
I’ll admit that’s a little harsh considering that TAMU finished the 2016 college football season ranked #34. This just means that LSU could potentially be a bigger bust than the Aggies were. Will LSU will lose all four of those games and tank what has started out to be a great year? No. Is there a chance that does happen though? Absolutely.
Hold Your Wallets
As far as betting goes, it is becoming more and more difficult to wager on the Tigers going forward. The Tigers are currently 2-2 ATS this season and the trends this weekend are NOT in their favor. In the last 11 seasons, the Rebels are 9-2 ATS against LSU. The underdog in this matchup is 13-5 in their last 18 meetings. The Tigers are also 7-14 ATS over the last 21 seasons overall. Bottom line? Skip putting money down on this game this weekend.
Silver Lining
If there is one silver lining for this LSU football program is that they have the most passionate coach in college football, Coach Ed Orgeron. Not to plug any other podcasts but if you haven’t listened to the interview he had on Pardon My Take then I would 10/10 recommend listening. It truly gives you a look inside the crazy mind of Coach O and how much passion he has for Louisiana State football. With the electric start that they’ve had on the season it’s safe to say that the hot seat has vanished away:
It’s hard to root against a guy like Coach Orgeron but its hard to ignore the facts. LSU has the rest of the season to get their offense firing on some better cylinders and turn things around. Likely to happen? Probably not. But you can bet your sweet ass that I’m gonna end this the right way, GEAUX TIGERS.
