They were picked pre-season to win the conference and maybe win it all.The big prize is almost certainly out of reach, but they did okay. At the end of the day, they damn sure did okay.
Talk about odds stacking up against you if you're LSU: after a week of intense rumormongering, your coach is forced to hold an emergency press conference addressing his job status just two hours prior to the game. Your senior quarterback, who despite lacking flash has been a steady producer, is out with a tweaked shoulder. Your All-American defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey, is out with a bruised tailbone. Then your backup quarterback rips a finger open on his throwing hand, and no one can stop the bleeding (Perilloux would need stitches after the game.) To add insult to injury you lose your best wide receiver (Early Doucet) in the third quarter when you're down a point.
Tennessee comes into the game playing their best football of the last few years. They bring their own NFL-caliber senior quarterback in Erik Ainge. And sneak in with a chip on their shoulder, unheralded and written off before the first snap.
Pretty good setup for a fall, but it didn't happen.
Instead, LSU's defense dug in the game became a ball-control and defensive struggle. Erik Ainge had a night he'd like to forget, playing reasonably well in the first half, but throwing two interceptions late which sealed the Vols' fate.
Final: 21-14.
Les Miles is already campaigning for a title bid.
"Anybody who saw this game would say that this is arguably the finest team in the country," said the Tigers' head coach.
And maybe that's not such a crazy idea after all. As of 10:00PM ET, West Virginia -- shockingly -- trails Pitt, 10-7 in Morgantown. If Mizzou loses to Oklahoma (that game is currently tied at 14-14 at the half), LSU might, just might be able to put one of their pre-season goals back on the board.
Why would one expect anything different in college football's strangest season?




















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-01-2007 @ 10:34PM
Glen Prejean said...
God Bless Coach Miles and His Tigers and L S U !!!
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12-01-2007 @ 11:07PM
travy said...
sec season for the ages. everything else seems a little boring, no?
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12-01-2007 @ 11:10PM
tobrien28 said...
Too bad that West Virginia lost and that Mizzou seems doomed because now the National Title will be Ohio St. and LSU. I hate both teams so i will be watching the two best teams in the country play in a different bowl: The Orange Bowl. If Georgia doesn't play in the Rose Bowl (a possibility now) then they will play the 6th ranked Hokies.
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12-01-2007 @ 11:45PM
Justin said...
Ohio State will definitely be #1 tomorrow and LSU should jump past Georgia, Kansas and VT to be #2. Georgia and Kansas didn't even play in their conference championship game and LSU dominated VT early in the season so they should be #2 because of that.
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12-01-2007 @ 11:55PM
Jason Robertson said...
LSU is still undefeated... in regulation. If any team has shown heart it is LSU. I hope they get the Title nod and make this the year of the #2!!!
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12-02-2007 @ 12:05AM
Big K said...
-Ohio St...in
-Missouri...out
-West va...out
-Kansas...not even the best in their confence
-Georgia...not even the best in their division
-Va Tech...40 pt. beatdown by LSU
-so, shouldn't LSU be #2 tomorrow??
come on voters, do the right thing!!!
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12-02-2007 @ 12:14AM
ron said...
This whole ranking system is a farce. How could the #1 team be a 3.5 point underdog against the #9 team? If anyone knows anything its Vegas and they set the lines... and they were right.. Oklahoma was favored to beat (sic) #1 and did. Ohio State will play LSU in the national championship and win.
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12-02-2007 @ 12:55AM
herbalcracker said...
if all holds true and LSU plays Ohio, look for another blowout. vegas knows this too, plus seven at least. ohio state just won't have enough athletes to keep this one close.
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12-02-2007 @ 1:02AM
r long said...
It should be OS v's LSU, should be a great game
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12-02-2007 @ 3:45AM
Buvi Duvi said...
Two best teams in the country right now are USC and Georgia. We need playoff so frauds like LSU and Ohio State can be eliminated early. I am going to be sick to my stomach tomorrow when Ohio State and LSU are selected for the NC. :(
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12-06-2007 @ 12:44AM
tw said...
lsu had it's shot twice this year. it's just not the year for the tigers.as far as les miles goes he's living off of someone eles's recruits and has not shown me anything.
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12-02-2007 @ 9:24AM
SUE said...
GEAUX TIGERS LSU FANS BLEED PURPLE AND GOLD, AND ARE PROUD OF OUR BOYS
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12-02-2007 @ 9:56AM
WAYNE said...
LSU beat my Tennessee Vols, but I say GO LSU. They are still SEC and at least Tennessee would be able to say they were beat by National CHAMPS. LSU has played with heart and guts. I say again GO LSU!! #1
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12-02-2007 @ 10:52AM
john said...
As an avid SEC fan in a neighboring state to OSU, analyzing the losses of LSU and OSU is instructive- both can be beat playing smash-mouth defense versus a scoring offense. This may be Tressels's year and without all the star players. LSU needs to keep it close.
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12-02-2007 @ 10:56AM
janlan12 said...
LSU has been injury prone all season and still rises to the top. There's not another football program in the country with the talent that this team has. They beat Tennessee with a back-up quarterback and reserve players. Ohio State better hope that they don't play LSU, remember what Florida did to them last year! Who has Ohio State played, really!!! G0 TIGERS
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12-02-2007 @ 11:16AM
I BLEED CRIMSON !!!! said...
HEY WANYNE
Do not forget the beating you in T-Town 41-17 So you can say you got beat by #1 and the Unranked Crimson Tide. I am pulling for the SEC also.
Steve
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12-02-2007 @ 11:39AM
Paul said...
The Fighting Bengal Tigers never say die..................EVER! We just run out of time! Undeniably deserving of a National Championship bid.
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12-02-2007 @ 11:47AM
RUBY said...
GEAUX TIGERS!!! WE MIGHT LIVE IN TEXAS NOW, BUT OUR HEARTS ARE STILL THAT OF TIGERS. LSU IS THE BEST!!!
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12-09-2007 @ 7:38PM
charlie said...
hey but u all r forgetting who LSU's 2 losses were to and one of them jus happens to be UK so in theory if LSU wins the national title tht would mean UK beat the NC's
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12-03-2007 @ 11:20PM
Reese Thompson said...
Uh, you should be saying, "God Bless Eric Ainge."
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