Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going around the landscape of the SEC, team by team, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, our 2021 LSU preview!
2021 LSU Preview
The 2019 LSU Tigers were one of the greatest teams in the history of college football – undefeated National Champions, SEC Champions, a Heisman-winning quarterback in Joe Burrow. That team went on a historic run for the ages – but after a mediocre 5-5 2020 campaign, head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff find themselves attempting to recreate that magic down in Baton Rouge. To start, Coach O brought in two new coordinators for the 2021 season.
On offense, new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz will be calling the plays, but as for who will be executing them, that’s left to an open competition. You can’t help but feel for Myles Brennan, who lost pretty much all of 2020 to injury after patiently awaiting his crack at the starting role. But, it’s going to be a battle between he and Max Johnson. Elite receiver Kayshon Boutte returns, as does all five of LSU’s starting offensive linemen from a season ago, and the unit boasts a talented group of running backs to boot. If they can figure it out at quarterback, they have some pieces in place for this to be another good offense.
The Bo Pelini experiment was cooked after one season, as LSU ended up with one of the worst defenses in the SEC, specifically speaking, one of the worst pass defenses in the entire country. In an interesting move, Coach O replaced him with Daronte Jones at defensive coordinator off of the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff. There’s a strong collection of returning talent in the front seven, but even though the group was torched in 2020, it’s the secondary I’m most excited about. Derek Stingley Jr. and Eli Ricks have All-American pedigrees and figure to get that unit turned around quickly.
The way I’m looking at it, LSU’s season is going to come down to a couple of things. One, can the changes among the leadership structure, bringing in two new coordinators, get this program back to winning SEC Championships?And, two: is a boat load of returning starters from a 5-5 team really enough to return this team to prominence? Despite leading this program to a historic National Championship season just two years ago, the seat is warmer under Coach O than any other coach in the SEC. I’m not so sure that’s unwarranted when you look at the totality of the results this team has produced under him.
2021 Tigers Schedule
Saturday, 9/4: @ UCLA – LSU in the Rose Bowl to start the season, you love to see it! I wouldn’t sleep on this game, LSU fans. This looks like it could be the year that it all clicks for Chip Kelly at UCLA.
Saturday, 9/11: vs. McNeese State – After traveling across the country to open the season against the talented Bruins, the Tigers deserve to come home and have a veritable preseason game.
Saturday, 9/18: vs. Central Michigan – …okay, make it two veritable preseason games.
Saturday, 9/25: @ Mississippi State – I don’t know that any team in the SEC is going to be as big of a wild card as the Bulldogs will be. I could see it going either way – they’re really good and win this one, or Mike Leach just doesn’t work in the SEC and they bottom out.
Saturday, 10/2: vs. Auburn – The other Tigers in the SEC West are in a bit of a transition period of their own, but this is one game that I do think experience and stability favors LSU in.
Saturday, 10/9: @ Kentucky – Given the overall state of flux the SEC finds itself in this season, I think the Wildcats are one of the teams that can stand to benefit from it. This game being in Lexington helps, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Kentucky take it.
Saturday, 10/16: vs. Florida – I’m a big fan of Dan Mullen, but I’m not a big fan of having to completely change your offense in one season, and the Gators will have to get away from their “screw it – let’s just throw it a million times per game” style. That makes this year’s Florida team a huge question mark for me.
Saturday, 10/23: @ Ole Miss – Is it crazy to say that Ole Miss has the best quarterback situation in the entire league? This one being in Oxford will help a team that is looking to make a big leap in Year 2 of Lane Kiffin.
Saturday, 10/30: BYE
Saturday, 11/6: @ Alabama – The Tide is going to be good – we all know that. However, I’m not as high on this team as everyone else is. There are some huge question marks there, as is a recurring theme in the SEC this season. But, looking at talent vs. talent, Alabama wins that comparison.
Saturday, 11/13: vs. Arkansas – The Razorbacks surprised in 2020, but we’ll see how they respond when people see them coming. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one go either way, but I’m leaning Tigers as we sit here in July.
Saturday, 11/20: vs. ULM – Everyone has to get that Rivalry Week tune-up game in!
Saturday, 11/27: vs. Texas A&M – If anyone’s going to take down Alabama in the SEC this year, I think it’s the Aggies. That’s how good I think they’ll be. But, if the Aggies peter out early, it would make this a much more winnable game for the Tigers.
Prediction
LSU is bringing a lot of 2020’s unit back for another go at it. If nothing changes, I think Coach O could start to wear out his welcome. But, I think they’ll be good enough to buy him another year. This year, they have the benefit of the league, as a whole, feeling like it’s in transition. There’s a lot of new coaches in the league, and the SEC West looks about as down as it has in a long, long time. It all depends on how the changes at coordinator impact LSU and if they can get their quarterback situation sorted out correctly. The talent is there, and the schedule lays out so that this could be a 10-2 or 9-3 team. But, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go 5-7 either. Like a lot of other teams in the SEC, there are some major questions that could turn the season in either direction. My official gun-to-my-head record prediction is 8-4.
OTHER SEC 2021 SEASON PREVIEWS
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Florida Gators
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Vanderbilt Commodores
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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