The LSU Tigers head into the 2017 college football season with a new permanent head coach, Ed Orgeron, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a down or rebuilding year for the Tigers.
The over/under for LSU this fall is a hefty nine wins, and two ESPN writers don't believe the new-look Tigers are destined to reach this milestone.
Via ESPN:
Aschoff: "Spring games don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but in the weather-shortened game that LSU had, the offense didn't look very good at all. Derrius Guice is great, but who's going to take pressure off of him? And that defense lost a lot, especially at linebacker and in the secondary."
Khan: "The schedule makes a 5-0 start quite feasible, meaning the Tigers would need to win four of their last seven to hit the number. There are still too many question marks — particularly offensively — at this moment in time for me to go over here. I think this is probably a nine-win team, but it's no fun taking a push, so..."
Nine wins is a high-mark for the 2017 LSU Tigers, but the Tigers had a down year in 2016 and the team still won eight games. Since 1999, the team has won at least eight games every single season.
With a new offensive coordinator in place in Matt Canada, one of college football's best defensive coordinators in Dave Armada, along with the kind of talent they already have on the roster from stellar recruiting in the past, the Tigers not adding at least one more victory than last year's team seems like a stretch.
Still, the question marks surrounding the offense are real and fair, but with former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada aboard and Cam Cameron no longer calling the plays, it's hard not see at least some kind of bump for the Tigers' offense in 2017.
