LSU Football Preview Picks and 2011 Schedule
High expectations are nothing new for LSU football. But this year, expectations may be just a tad higher. That is because this team went 11-2 last season, knocking off Florida and Alabama along the way and returns just about the entire team for the 2011 season. They return 8 on offense iNCluding QB Jordan Jefferson as well as 8 on defense, a defense which ranked 12th nationally in total defense.
Les Miles has done nothing but win at LSU. He’s done no worse than 8 wins and that was just one year. We always talk about the recruiting pecking order and how some teams will never get the top talent. Well, LSU does get top talent which leaves it all up to the coach to and his staff to get the most from that talent and that’s exactly what Les Miles has done.
If you look over last years Schedule you’ll notice it wasn’t a dominating 11 wins. Then again, winning in the SEC is rarely done in a dominant way. Auburns National Title run is the picture perfect example of that. When you look at LSU a year ago you find many close wins. Games that could have gone either way.
This year should be no different. You can peNCil in maybe 7 wins. Games they should win. The rest of their success rides on how well they perform in those other key Games. Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas, all the usual suspects. They even open the year against the “other” team that played in the title Game last year, Oregon.
It looks to us like another 9 or 10 win season for the Tigers. Getting them all and contending for a National Title is going to be tough. It always is. ChaNCes are, you’ll be able to look back on LSU’s season and say, wow, they lost 3 or 4 Games by less than a TD……
Online Sportsbooks list LSU at odds of 4/1 to win the SEC. Considering Alabama and Florida are the favorites, there may be some value in that 4/1 price as we feel LSU has as good of a chance as both of those teams. LSU is listed at 18/1 odds to win the National Title. It’s never easy, but at 18/1, it may be worth a small shot.
2011 LSU Tigers Football Schedule
9-3-11 Oregon @Arlington, TX
9-10-11 NORTHWESTERN STATE
9-15-11 at Mississippi State (Thur.)
9-24-11 at West Virginia
10-1-11 KENTUCKY
10-8-11 FLORIDA
10-15-11 at Tennessee
10-22-11 AUBURN
11-5-11 at Alabama
11-12-11 WESTERN KENTUCKY
11-19-11 at Mississippi
11-25-11 ARKANSAS (Fri.)