8-4 regular season is the floor... here's why

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8 wins has been LSU's floor since 2001. Why would anyone expect that to change now?

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Don't know, but Vegas has us at 7.5 wins. We are more talented than 2014 when we won 8, and the schedule is very similar.

I always thought 10 wins was the floor. Since when did a 8 or 9 wins season become OK with LSU fans. This programs attitude has really deteriorated. It's a tough schedule but 11 wins is within reach if everything breaks right for us.

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8 wins has been LSU's floor since 2001. Why would anyone expect that to change now?

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The schedule
Lack of confidence in staff
At least two (A&M and Florida), and possibly 4 (State and Arkansas) of our opponents should be better than they were when we played them a year ago.

Do you think objective people respect a coach 3 years removed from the national championship game or Coach O? C'mon man. I'm not even hating on the guy. What's your reasoning for why people aren't respecting this team as much as the '14 team?

Also, the OP's methodology is off. You are equating all of the top 25 as equal. In 2014, we had two preseason top 10 teams on our schedule, plus three other top 25 teams who were all ranked lower than us.

This year, we play four preseason top 10 teams and five top 25 teams overall, all of which are ranked higher than us.

I think preseason polls are crap. But if you look at 2014 and 2018 on that basis only, we have a much harder schedule this year. Thus, the over/under being at 7.5 is pretty fair if you use 2014's 8-4 performance against a weaker schedule as your "norm."

I didn't think anyone would expect that kind of respect with his track record, but there are some on this board that really seem to get bent out of shape when he doesn't. I'm starting to wonder how many of them are of the multiple user account variety.

All we can do is wait and hope he proves the doubters wrong.

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Vegas has us at 7.5 wins. We are more talented than 2014 when we won 8, and the schedule is very similar.

There's really on one thing that is different. Everyone may be wrong, but it's pretty obvious that people that aren't connected to LSU aren't respecting the head coach. Hopefully he gives them a big shitburger to eat.

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Hey, it's fair. He doesn't have the HC record or pedigree to have default respect. He has to earn it. And he has a great chance to. It's not a slight; it's simply a way to say, "With the competition LSU faces, the as of yet unknown at the head coach spot tips a game or two away from LSU in predicting games."

It's exactly like being ranked low for other reasons. Win and you'll get the respect. Just win, baby. Just win.

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What's your reasoning for why people aren't respecting this team as much as the '14 team?

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In 2013 (the year prior), LSU went 10-3 with a high powered offense. Anthony Jennings came in to save the Arkansas game and, while he looked shaky against Iowa in the Bowl game, people were optimistic. The three losses came to Georgia in Athens in a shootout, to Ole Miss when Mett shite the bed and to Bama.

Coming in to 2014, LSU seemed like a team with momentum.

Last year, LSU was schizo. We lost to Troy, got blown out by Miss State and lost to Bama. Yet we beat a really good Auburn team. We then forgot to play defense with 1 minute left and blew our bowl game. No momentum.

We are viewed as not having a QB, again. A recurring theme since...2014.

I'm sure the perception of Bebe is part of it. But let's not overstate things.

We have no known commodities on offense, we coming off a disappointing year and we play four of the top 10 preseason teams. So if you are objective, and not even looking at coaches, you say this team likely goes 7-5 or 8-4, which is exactly what Vegas is saying.

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Last year, LSU was schizo. We lost to Troy, got blown out by Miss State 

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We then forgot to play defense with 1 minute left and blew our bowl game. No momentum. 

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we coming off a disappointing year

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I think you nailed it right here. It's going to be a long couple of weeks because I'm ready to see if he can turn it around and really trying to keep an open mind about it.

Eta: I think one of biggest problems with last year is that the schedule didn't offer many chances at quality wins to offset the disappointing losses.