2010 NCAA College Football Preview: LSU
By Hank Harris • Aug 17th, 2010 • Category: NCAAFAs Nick Saban hoisted the National Championship trophy at the end of last season, the LSU Tigers likely took little comfort in their second-place finish in the SEC West division and their berth in a New Year’s Day bowl. The Tigers and their fans have high expectations for their team thanks to a pair of national championships in the past decade – the first of which was won while Saban was their coach.
The Tigers open their 2010 NCAA College Football season on Saturday, Sept. 4 hosting the North Carolina Tar Heels (5 pm ET, ABC). LSU is a 1-point home underdog in NCAAF Lines.
LSU appears to be inexperienced in several positions, especially on defense. As such, they may be a few years away from competing with Alabama for the top spot in the SEC West. However, coach Les Miles has brought in a talented recruiting class that could surprise their SEC counterparts.
Junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson will return for his second year as a starter after throwing 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2009. He may have a lighter workload as LSU moves to a renewed emphasis on the run game, which will highlight the skills of Stevan Ridley, Michael Ford, and Richard Murphy.
Whatever LSU decides to do with its offense, it clearly needs to improve. They finished 112th in the nation in total offense last year and managed a combined 18 points to SEC powerhouses Florida and Alabama.
LSU will only be returning four defensive starters from a unit that was 11th in the nation in scoring defense (11.6 points per game). Cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebacker Kelvin Sheppard will lead the defense.
If this really is a rebuilding year for the Tigers, they are in for a rude awakening as they go through their brutal schedule. All in-conference games will be tough and they play North Carolina, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia in non-conference play.
Hank Harris is a professional writer with more than 25 years experience. He has written on sports betting and gambling for more than a decade of that time. He covers all sports, from the NFL to the NBA to NCAA College.
He is originally from the Boston area and is now based out of Las Vegas.
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This game is being played in the Georgia Dome, not in Baton Rouge. While LSU may be deemed the home game for this matchup, they in fact are not playing at home.
Vanderbilt is in the SEC.