For those of you who are nervous about next season....

First off, I want to say that I was a little nervous too considering all the talent we have leaving, but don't be! The good news is that most of the talent that is leaving is on the defensive side of the ball (Chief's side). And Chief has never put together an unproductive season at LSU. I remember in 2010, when Chad Jones left, I thought we were screwed, but our defense turned out even better that next year with emerging stars such as Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu, who btw were NOBODIES coming out of high school. We've recruited the same level of talent since then, and Chavis has always done a tremendous job of developing it. And besides, when new starters step into position, they have a hungry attitude to prove themselves as the best team in the nation. That's what I think our team lacked this year, motivation. They went so far in 2011 only to come up short. Maybe they felt a little uninspired this year due to the fact that they had to do it all again.

Offensively, we have all the talent in the world, but as we've seen in the past, that doesn't necessarily mean success. Hill and Hilliard are our two main returning backs, and they were also our most productive ones this season so that's good. Practically our whole O-line is returning as well as Mettenberger and all his go-to receivers. Many people don't like Mettenberger, but they forget the fact that he did throw for 2600 yards this season which is more than what Matt Flynn threw for in 2007. The bottom line is, with practically every offensive starter returning, there is nowhere to go but up, so yes, I do think our offense will be better next season.

Next is our scheduling. Most bitter Tiger fans bitch and moan about how Alabama has an easier schedule than us, but tbh, I think that works out better FOR US. Les and his staff have always seemed to do better with a harder schedule. 2011 and 2007 are prime examples of this. We have a huge season opener next year, and we play Georgia and Florida from the East. I think what this does is keep the team focused. When you play a difficult opponent, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. WE ARE THE UNDERDOGS NOW. No one expects us to do well next season so let's sneak up and turn some heads.

Finally, I would like to conclude this season. We went 10-3 with losses to Florida, Alabama, and Clemson. I want to remind you that everyone of those games came down to the wire. OBJ fumbled the big pass in the Florida game, we let Yeldon sneak past us in November, and of course the 4th and 16 against Clemson was a mistake. People look at 10-3 with lots of non-returning starters, and think we're screwed. But look at Alabama in 2010. They went 10-3 with all that talent (Jones, Ingram, Mcelroy) and came back next season with none of those guys and won the national championship. What do we have in common with Alabama? depth. Both schools have tremendous success in recruiting every year, which is why LSU is one of the only schools who can afford to lose some of its starters. TCU? Boise? Wisconsin? They can't. They're not LSU.

The past is on our side fellow Tiger fans, so let's go back out there and show no fear on the football field