Is LSU a brand all in its own?

But without us, how much does the SEC hurt?

If we were getting the attention that we deserved, are we as valuable to college football over the last decade as Nebraska was?

I see LSU gear all over the US.......it is MOST definitely a brand all it's own.

Maybe not as high as USC, Notre Dame, OSU

but

Top 10....no doubt

LSU is a pretty sweet acronym.

People like da L-S-U.

If you go by whose gear sells the most, LSU is
defintely a brand

>
Top apparel categories for 2009-10 included T-shirts,
performance, headwear, and youth. Royalties from
collegiate T-shirts now represent a quarter of all collegiate apparel.

The top 25:
1. Texas,
2. Alabama,
3. Florida,
4. LSU,
5. North Carolina,
6. Georgia,
7. Michigan,
8. Kentucky,
9. Penn State,
10. Oklahoma,
11. Notre Dame,
12. Tennessee,
13. West Virginia,
14. Nebraska,
15. Auburn,
16. Wisconsin,
17. Kansas,
18. Missouri,
19. Florida State,
20. Arkansas,
21. Texas A&M,
22. Illinois,
23. South Carolina,
24. Texas Tech,
25. Clemson


LINK

If you look at the records, they do compare pretty well over a one decade span, especially when LSU had to be built into a powerhouse, it wasnt like they hit the decade running

2000: 8-4 Peach Bowl Champs
2001:10-3 Sugar Bowl Champs
2002: 8-5
2003:13-1 National Champs
2004: 9-3
2005:11-2 SEC Champ Game Appearance/Peach Bowl
2006:11-2 Sugar Bowl Champs
2007:12-2 SEC/National Champs
2008: 8-5 Chick Fil-A Bowl Champs
2009: 9-4
2010:11-2 Cotton Bow Champs

So in the last decade, we have won a whopping 110 games, averaging 10 per season. We are 8-3 in Bowl games, with 4 BCS wins. We have two SEC titles, three appearances, two national titles and a 70% winning percentage.

1990[8] Nebraska 9–3 5–2 3rd L Citrus 17T 24
1991 Nebraska 9–2–1 6–0–1 T-1st L Orange 16 15
1992 Nebraska 9–3 6–1 1st L Orange 14 14
1993 Nebraska 11–1 7–0 1st L Orange 3 3
1994 Nebraska 13–0 7–0 1st W Orange 1 1
1995 Nebraska 12–0 7–0 1st W Fiesta 1 1
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12 Conference) (1996–1997)
1996 Nebraska 11–2 8–0 1st (North) W Orange 6 6
1997 Nebraska 13–0 8–0 1st (North) W Orange 1
1998 Nebraska 9–4 5–3 T–2nd (North) L Holiday 20 19
1999 Nebraska 12–1 8–1 1st (North) W Fiesta † 2 3
2000 Nebraska 10–2 6–2 T–1st (North) W Alamo

finishing with 118 wins, averaging out at 10.72 per season, less than one win a season more than LSU's decade. However, they were only 6-5 in that Span in Bowl games. However, they did finish #1 in the coaches poll 3 times. Nebraska, however, played a team ranked inside the top two in 90-95 and #3 tennessee in '97, winning 7 conference titles and making 8 appearances, 90-95 in the big 8, 96-present in the Big 12.


The only real difference that can be seen is the conference titles 2 in 3 for LSU, 7-8 for Nebraska, but let us look further, the only real competition in that conference came from Colorado. If you remember correctly, Oklahoma was coached at that time by Gary Gibbs (Hello Saints Fans) Howard Schnellenberger in 95 and John Blake until Stoops finally took over

The verdict should be that with a tougher conference, our numbers are skewed. In a conference full of the likes of Iowa State and Kansas, would LSU be a little better with in-conference rent a wins? I believe so.

There could be an argument made, based the way the program has been run and the results in a week to week grind in conference that this could be the best decade of any team, program wise, in the last twenty + years

ETA: Let me know if my research was off at all

So this has to be all ESPN's fault, they still act like Nebraska and Miami have the same type of teams out there, sorry, that was when my dad was in highschool/college, not when im in college, will LSU get that same treatment if they ever go through a lull? Hell no. But the numbers are undoubtedly there, in plain print, its been a hell of a decade

Living and working in Georgia now I rarely see anything LSU. Even after the 03/07 seasons. I am closer to the Florida border so most is FSU/UGA but then Big 10 gear is the next most common. I do not understand it lol.

Nah

In my opinion, the LSU brand is bigger than most people believe it to be. It's undervalued as a brand.

I believe it's undervalued because the national media and culture have an image of where they would like LSU to be... that is not in line with where LSU is. Where they would like us to be is a top 25-15 team that's interesting to visit for a side trip every once in a while... doesn't make a lot of noise... and loses the right games to the right teams. We are a small market team that doesn't ADD TV viewers to games, from people who have no stake in LSU.

Ask the media if they would be more excited about LSU continuing its run, or if UCLA or Georgia suddenly woke up out of its funk. They would drop us like a bad habit to run to either.

But make no mistake... nobody sees LSU on the schedule and feels good about that game. They may not talk about LSU on TV all the time... but LSU is in the heads of its opponents all the time.