LSU football not among top tiers of 2020 contenders

LSU football isn’t receiving the benefit of the doubt after winning it all in 2019.

By now we know that LSU football isn’t viewed by the media as a favorite to win the 2020 national championship.

The Tigers, in fact, aren’t even viewed as a tier 2 program in 2020.

247Sports revealed their 2020 contenders tiers on Thursday and they have LSU all the way in tier three.

Here’s how their tiers break down.

Tier 1 

• Alabama
• Clemson
• Ohio State

Tier 1.5

• Georgia

Tier 2

• Oklahoma

Tier 3

• Florida
• LSU
• Notre Dame
• Penn State

The tier LSU football should actually be in this season

I think 247Sports pretty much nailed tier one, though I could be convinced that Alabama should be removed.

Clemson and Ohio State are the clear frontrunners in 2020, thanks to the presence of quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

(LSU knows as well as anyone that a great quarterback is incredibly beneficial to a championship run.)

Alabama doesn’t have a proven option at quarterback (Mac Jones, much like Myles Brennan, has potential but he still has a lot to prove). For that reason, I could see them being in tier two. But Nick Saban’s reputation for consistently building championship contenders is probably enough to warrant the Tide’s inclusion in tier one.

Putting Georgia in tier 1.5 is a total copout. And Oklahoma alone in tier two? I just don’t see it.

The Bulldogs and Sooners will each be turning to new quarterbacks in 2020. That means there’s a lot of question marks surrounding their respective offenses.

Tier two should be much broader. Here’s how I’d have it.

Tier 2

• Georgia
• Florida
• LSU
• Oklahoma

I included Florida here because I think Dan Mullen is a good coach who proved at Mississippi State that he can get to the top of the college football world. At Florida, he just needs to prove he has some staying power.

I left out Notre Dame mostly because of their schedule. The Irish have to play Clemson, USC, and Wisconsin. They’re losing at least one of those games. They just missed the cut for me.

Penn State wasn’t included because I have to see the Nittany Lions get over the hump before I believe they’re a true contender. They’ve got close in recent years, but they can’t quite put it all together. It’s certainly possible that James Franklin ends up being the next Dabo Swinney, but I need to see it before I believe it.

I don’t expect folks to view LSU as a tier one team in 2020 (even though I think they could end up being a tier one team). But putting them in tier three is just straight disrespect for the program that Ed Orgeron and his staff have built in Baton Rouge.