I see us starting out wither 3 or 4 behind WV and or Michigan, but I think a win against VT by anything over 10 points jumps us to the number 2 spot.
Absolutely. In 2003 LSU slowly moved up the charts and was completely off the NC radar until the last week of the season. I think it helped LSU to peak at just the right time.
For those of you seeing nothing higher than a #4 spot, think again. First, a number of (unofficial) "pre-preseason" polls have the Tigers firmly in the top 4: CollegeFootballNews: #2 ESPN.com: Mark Schlaback: #10 (he's the outlier...and he predicts an LSU SEC championship, yet has Fla. ahead of LSU in the initial poll.) CBS Sportsline: #4 Sports Illustrated: #2 Southern Pigskin: #1 (in the South, not a national poll per se, but worth noting). Take out the Schlaback (assumedly fever-induced) 10 spot, and LSU's average poll position falls between 2 and 3 (2.6, to be exact). Oh, and if your first response to the question of "Why can't LSU be #2 to start the season?" is, "They lost a stud QB to the draft.", that doesn't wash with me. Colt McCoy and Texas began last year at #2 and Matt Flynn is more experienced by far than McCoy (not to mention the fact that Perrilloux is better prepared than whomever McCoy's backup was this time last year). Finally, don't sleep on the pollster's likely carryover from last season. Many feel at least a little guilt at being an UCLA upset away from denying the SEC champ a shot at the title. Florida's dismantling of Ohio State is a perfect example of why LSU fans should always, always pull for another SEC brother in that situtation. LSU is well positioned to reap what Florida sowed back in January, no question. So, the question remains: Why not #2?
I'm sure WV will be up there because, let's face it, their schedule is fairly easy (every year). Still, they've yet to come close to getting in the NCG because they never quite seem to get the job done. And don't even get me started on Michigan. I know the media loves them, but why? If it wasn't bad enough for them to have USC stomp a mudhole in them in the Rose Bowl (where we should have been), then their one loss in that mythical battle vs. OSU looked really less impressive after Florida put the beatdown on that "powerful" Buckeye team. We finished the season stronger than WVU or Michigan. Doggone it, I want #2. Actually, I want #1, but I realize that isn't happening.
it irritates the hell out of me that they give schools higher rankings because their schedule is easy. What kind of crazy ass circular logic is that?
I wouldn't realistically put us anything higher than 8-10. Too many questions. All of the posts in here are assuming we will beat VT in week 2. I would love to see it, but they're a solid team who has a great chance at coming in here and upsetting us. The only reason it would be an upset is that, of course, it's Tiger Stadium. It's an unstated 10 point swing in our favor, no matter the line.
I did not make that a factor because most voters will not before the season begins. Maybe some would to make the LSU and VT a battle between two top ranked teams and build excitment. Even if we do beat VT and we are ranked 5th, I dont think we would jump right up to #2 or #3. That would depend the teams in front of us. USC or Michigan could play horrible their first game and barely squeek by and still keep their top spots.
