re: Tigers unranked in preseason Coaches poll, released today.

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Stop with all the 6-7 BS, this a new year.

USC were 4-8 last year so stop it. They are ranked

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Two thoughts:

1. It took Orgeron two years to completely destroy the benefit of the doubt LSU had earned over the course of 20 years of consistent winning. For better or worse, they now have to earn it back.

2. USC being ranked highlights the ambiguity of the polls. Are teams being ranked on where the voters believe they will finish? Or, are teams being ranked on how good the voters think they are now? The answer is an inconsistent mixture of both. USC gets the nod because the successful HC/QB duo at OU is in place at a new school in a relatively weak conference. On the flipside, LSU gets the shaft because although they have a very proven new HC, there are roster question marks, which leaves questions as to where LSU will finish in the toughest division of the toughest conference in all of college football. LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc could all be "better" teams than USC, but finish with worse records because USC plays a much weaker schedule. It's why a poll of 25 teams will ALWAYS have inconsistent logic

The good news is LSU's schedule is plenty good enough that if they win, where they started the season will matter not