LSU Football hype train has officially left the station

LSU Football will kick off the 2021 season in just a couple of weeks.

The Tigers open the season on September 4 on the road against UCLA.

After a disappointing 2020 season, which saw LSU finish with the No. 98 scoring defense in the nation, the Tigers are hoping to get back on track and compete for an SEC West division title.

Winning the SEC West, of course, won’t be easy. Alabama is the undisputed favorite to win the division. LSU and Texas A&M are the two top contenders, while Ole Miss and Auburn are hoping to make things interesting.

The LSU football hype train has left the station

Immediately after the 2020 season, I started seeing comments pop up from analysts and opposing fan bases that suggested Ed Orgeron got lucky in 2019 (LSU’s national championship year).

The thought was that Orgeron was regressing back to his true self in 2020.

As the offseason has progressed, however, we’ve started seeing the optimism for LSU football in 2021 grow.

That was extremely evident this week when Pro Football Focus revealed their preseason top 25. They have the Tigers as the No. 10 team in the nation, which is higher than LSU’s coaches poll ranking (14) and AP poll ranking (16).

Here’s what PFF had to say about LSU this season (via 247Sports):

"“As for the defensive side of the ball, there’s too much talent for them to be as average as they were in 2020. The unit begins with what is the best outside corner duo in the country, Derek Stingley Jr. and Eli Ricks.”"

I completely understand why LSU is ranked as a top 10 team in most polls — it’s all because of how the program performed in 2020.

But I am in total agreement with PFF — the Tigers are a top 10 program. And I think we’re starting to see folks at the national level agree.

There’s just too much talent on LSU’s roster not to be a top 10 program. The Tigers have the best cornerback duo in the nation in Eli Ricks and Derek Stingley Jr.

And they might have the best wide receiver in sophomore Kayshon Boutte. Combine that with a defensive line that’s performing lights out during fall camp and you have a recipe for major success.

I’m not ready to say that LSU will compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but I think they’re going to crush some dreams in the SEC this year.