re: LSU not ranked by ESPN as one of 8 "Blue-Blood" CFB Programs

That's absolutely the list of blue bloods, although I admittedly think of Nebraska as a member of the next tier. They will never come close to their previous glory due to recruiting and conference realignment.

Ranking LSU #9 is pretty generous. I don't see how you can rank us above Tennessee. They have more SEC titles, wins and own the head-to-head over LSU by a pretty decent margin. We have one more NC and Heisman winner, but I definitely think they're still #2 in the SEC all time.