So, Is 10 Wins Really Elite Anymore?

to those in the "10 Win Crowd" I submit this.
How can 10 wins be an elite accomplishment anymore? LSU now plays 13 total games (including bowl games). Of those, I'll break down the games into 3 categories.
Category 1- Gimme Wins. These are games that under no circumstance SHOULD LSU ever lose, or be in danger of losing. These are the locked in Ws before the season starts.
Category 2- A Class Above Games. These are the games where LSU clearly outclasses the opponent, and, unless they really wet the bed, should win easily. If they wet the bed, a loss is possible, however.
Category 3- Actual Football Games. These are games where LSU has an equal, or close to equal opponent, and must play well to actually win the game.
Reviewing the 2012 schedule, LSU had a total of 6 wins against teams in the Gimme category (Note: if LSU played like shite and kept the game close, that does not erase the fact that the game was a gimme). Those games were, UNT, Washington, Idaho, Towson, Ole Miss, and Auburn.
2 wins came in games where LSU clearly outclassed the opponent, but needed to play well to win the game. Those were, Miss State, and Arkansas. So, practically speaking, there were only 5 actual football games this year. In those 5 games, UF, USCe, TAMU, BAMA, and Clemson, LSU went 2-3.
Simply put, when your schedule GIVES you 8 wins, a 10 win season is not really much of an accomplishment.