Yeah, but you probably can't win a BCS title w/o first winning an SEC title. Certainly not this year. Obviously, it's harder to win games 1 and 2 than just game 1.
We are definately a legitimate contender for the NC, and if we can win our remaining games, we should be in the NC game. But that should not be the criteria for success this year. I expected the Tigers to lose one game this year (but I did not think it would be to Kentucky), but even if we lose two, that is still a 10-2 regular season record. That would be a little disappointing considering our talent, but a successful season nonetheless. A conference championship would really be the cherry on the topping, and anything more than that would obviously be outstanding.
Nothing wrong with HOPE, however EXPECT is a little overboard as it infers we deserve it wrather than need to earn it every Saturday.:thumb: "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it", Fur
No I don't think we have to win a championship. Too many things have to occur that are well out of the control of the team for us to expect that to happen. One can never discount the luck factor and whether or not the right teams ahead of us win or lose. My goal is to win the SEC West every year. This gives us a shot at the SEC title, and to go to and win a decent bowl game. Hopefully a BCS bowl but at least a January one. If we accomplish 2 out of 3 of those things, I think it is an exceptional year and I will be thrilled with the results. I think if we continue to do those things on a fairly regular basis, recruiting will continue to go well and a shot at a national title will present itself every few years or so. You have to set up to win divisions and conferences not national titles. If you take care of the games on your schedule, not what the rest of the country is doing, gettting a shot at a BCS championship will take care of itself. Just my 2 cents...
It is a good question to (re)ask... Some, I'm sure, will say that you never, ever should "expect" to win it all under any circumstances. The last two teams that were touted as dominant, can't miss types by the press---Oklahoma in 2003 and USC in 2007---have missed or look likely to miss. As for the rest of us, I would "expect" to win a national title (or at least make it to the game itself) under the circumstances currently in place. Odds are overwhelming that a 12-1 LSU team will make the game. The schedule, with the exception of the SEC CG (likely-Florida; possibly-S Carolina), is much easier on the back end. One could make the case that key injuries that exposed critical areas where LSU is inexperienced have hampered LSU in the Tulane, Florida, and Kentucky games. That's 40% of your season to date right there--an in-state rival looking to make its season against you, a 2-loss team that could beat just about anybody in the country, and the best Kentucky team in decades---all against a less than 100% LSU team. The team heading to Tuscaloosa, assuming Dorsey is okay, is as healthy as one can expect a team to be 9 weeks into a season. I don't know if we'll see the level of play we saw against Va Tech, but it sure should be better than what we've seen against Tulane-Florida-Auburn. That would be a level more than sufficient to beat any team remaining on the schedule (except, perhaps, Florida...assuming *they* would be at full strength in the SEC CG). So, yes indeed, I "expect" this LSU team to at least make the title game.
When you have a team widely considered the most talented in the land (especially now that USC is a fraud and with all their injuries), and you have all your key games (minus the Bama game) at home, you have to say that it will dissappointing if we don't get at least a shot at the NC game. The only problem is that little issue of having to play the SEC CG. It might very well be a very tough Florida team (someone I consider the 2nd best team in the nation). The SEC won't produce many national champs because of our strong conference schedule and SEC CG. If am I not mistaken, didn't LSU take Tennessee out of the NC game in 01?
Its not a necessity, but just tell that to the kids who put the pads on Sat afternoons. Its prestige and pride for your school, and a gift to your fans who've supported you all along. The Tigers "will be there" if "they win out"...no question in my mind. :lsup::lsup::lsup::lsup::lsup::lsup::lsup::lsup:
