He's a potential program changer with some talent around him and a coaching staff worth a damn. I'd be taking him and building around it if I were them.
And the fans that root for lil' brother I just want to say to all those LSU fans that think the SEC is yours for years to come. I recall predictions that 'bama was done once Gus Malzahn came back to Auburn. It's amazing how good coaches can look with the right QB. I will say I think Orgeron is the real deal (USC is kicking themselves) but it won't be easy derailing the snowball rolling downhill that is Alabama.
I'm pretty sure that literally no one thinks that. The SEC will continue to be the toughest conference to win in for the foreseeable future. It took an incredible season and a once in a lifetime quarterback for LSU to run the table and be as dominant as they were, against 7 top 10 teams this year. Not once this season were they in a 2min offense to have to win a game, and let's be honest, they really beat Clemson by 24. With a more mortal quarterback LSU will still be in the hunt, and they will continue to have great talent. Clemson has rightfully been the benchmark program for the last 5 years. However they will continue to have the easiest path to the CFP for some time. So if I was a betting man I'd wager Clemson will have a better shot at the playoffs than LSU for at least the next few years, but it isn't because I think they're a better team.
Not to beat a dead horse but Clemson really is the only shark in a tank full of minnows right now. They can't help that the ACC as a whole is so weak but that's just how it is. Not much they can do about scheduling tougher out-of-conference play right now either, as those schedules are already locked. To put it into perspective the ACC doesn't even rate being a power 5 conference this year. The AAC has them beat. It really is a shame to have that kind of talent (and Clemson is loaded with it) and have to wait until the postseason to put it on display.
As season openers. Not sure who came up with that brilliant idea. Having a few games to get in the groove may have made for a better show. The SEC west is definitely the toughest division. I'm very curious to see how LSU rates without Burrow. Auburn should be better with Bo Nix having a year under his belt and who knows what Bama will come up with at QB. Not sure if Jimbo will have A&M dialed in yet and it's likely too soon for Lane or Leach to make much improvement at the MS schools. I'd have to give the early nod to Saban if he has a decent QB. Florida could be an outlier. They were decent this year. They may get over the hump enough to beat GA and get to the SEC title game.
I don’t see the SEC teams discontinuing to pay players anytime soon, so I would expect a continued level of high performance.
Oh come on now....there are isolated cases everywhere. That said, hopefully the new rules/laws allowing players to prosper from their name and likeness curtail any of the under table stuff.
At least LSU, Auburn and A&M attempt a decent out of division game or two. Bama schedules straight trash. Saban claims nobody will play them. I'm not buying it. Any team would love to have a shot at them.
Wrong. They’ve played decent teams to start the season in the past, and whipped their asses. And, that’s the reason no wanted to play them. Saban told reporters mid season if they could find power 5 conference teams to play them, then set it up, because no one was responding to their inquiries.