Sports Illustrated Unveils Preseason Top 25 Rankings

Sports Illustrated released their 2017 preseason rankings on Wednesday and pegged LSU at No. 13. Here is what they had to say about the Tigers.

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Player you should know: Sophomore defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence earned a starting job after a standout spring, and the 6'?3" 300-pounder will be an imposing force on the right side. LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Lawrence was the defensive player that had “improved the most” during the offseason, showing particular progress with his hands and footwork. Coach O revealed in July that Lawrence is also a 4.0 student. Last year Lawrence played sparingly, putting up stats in just four games—six tackles and one sack. But the top recruit in Louisiana in the class of 2016, according to ESPN, is a big body with impressive mobility, and he has the stuff to be one of the SEC’s best defensive linemen this fall.

Path to the playoff: The Tigers’ playoff path goes through four teams in SI’s Top 25: at Florida (Oct. 7), Auburn (Oct. 14), at Alabama (Nov. 4) and Texas A&M (Nov. 25). Could the SEC get two entries? Potentially. But LSU will have to earn it, starting with a visit from BYU (Sept. 2).

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Here is the complete preseason top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma State
5. USC
6. Oklahoma
7. Clemson
8. Penn State
9. Washington
10. Auburn
11. Michigan
12. Wisconsin
13. LSU
14. Louisville
15. Stanford
16. Georgia
17. South Florida
18. Florida
19. Kansas State
20. Miami
21. West Virginia
22. Washington State
23. Texas
24. Virginia Tech
25. Texas A&M

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