Only the most die-hard LSU fan would have said at the beginning of the season that the Tigers would not only contend for a national title, but win one -- and in the process tear down all previous offensive records and have a generational season from its senior quarterback.
It became apparent pretty early that these Tigers weren't paper, and only a couple of close shaves against Auburn and Alabama lessened confidence. And then only by a little bit. LSU was focused, determined and together, all components that are needed to win a national title. Oh, and they have a coach that loves not only them, but the entire state of Louisiana. Ed Orgeron is the face (and voice) of the program, a cajun boy making the homefolks proud. So he washed out at Ole Miss, and wasn't given much consideration at USC? He's in the place he always wanted to be, leading the team he loves to the top of the college football mountain. He's as lovable as Dabo Swinney is annoying, though you have to wonder if that changes should LSU become the sport's latest dynasty.
The Tigers have quite a bit returning in 2020, though the defense could be impacted by a few juniors departing -- Patrick Queen, Jacob Phillips, Michael Divinity -- should they decide to do so. That would make repeating more difficult, but we already know that it's harder to stay at the top than it is to get there. The work begins now, and those that rest will get left behind.
Loose Ends
- The time has more than arrived for a discussion about the targeting rule. We saw two game-changing ejections in the CFP -- Shaun Wade from Ohio State and James Skalski from Clemson -- that should have only been 15-yard penalties. By letter of the law both of the calls were correct, but to toss guys for being unlucky and a little careless versus malicious seems far too punitive. There are already penalties with degrees -- running into the kicker vs roughing, defensive holding vs pass interference. Hell, we had a five yard face mask vs 15 yards not that long ago. So how hard would it be to implement Targeting 1, which would simply be a 15-yard penalty and would apply to hits that fit the definition but lacked specific components -- launching, contact to the head -- and Targeting 2, which would satisfy every definition of the rule -- launch, crown of helmet, contact to the head and merit an ejection? This needs to be done so that big-time players aren't tossed from big-time games.
- Games have gotten too long, and that needs to be fixed. Two suggestions -- put a cap on replay review length, say 90 seconds to two minutes. If you can't figure it out by then, keep the call on the field. And don't stop the clock for first downs except in the final two minutes of a quarter or half.
- Schedule equity. Whether it's nine games (which I would prefer) or eight, all Power 5 leagues should play the same amount of conference games. It's silly for one league to be able to add a cupcake late in the season while others are embroiled in league wars. My thought would be nine games, along with three non-conference, two of which have to be against other Power 5 teams. Schools won't do this because the CFP committee has shown it has no problem with teams who schedule FCS squads but run the table. In fact, they give them preference over one loss teams that play good non-league schedules. Until the committee begins penalizing teams for poor scheduling this will continue. But it would be nice if leagues would at least talk about it.
- The transfer portal has become almost comical, and while I am still in favor of players being able to seek out better situations, there need to be some hard and fast rules. There are dates for high schoolers to sign with a school, dates for underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft -- why not dates for transfers? Let's say you're at School A, you get hurt and likely aren't getting your job back. Or a new coach comes in and changes the scheme. Why should you be stuck? A player would be able to announce a transfer the day that classes at his current school ends -- provided he is in good academic standing and has the proper amount of credits to be on course for graduation. He could choose another school up to the time they start classes -- so if the player has finished his studies in December and wants to be around for spring ball, he'll have to work quickly. If it isn't quite as pressing, he can wait until spring term begins, which is April for most schools. Same for spring -- if a player feels he is beaten out and won't get to play, he can leave and pick another school, provided he is there in time for classes to begin in the summer. Coaches would no doubt like that as it would help them plan their rosters better, and it would give the players a bit more clarity if they knew there were specific dates they had to meet.
- While neither team will be anywhere near the top of the SEC West, it should be fun to watch Ole Miss and Mississippi State under the guidance of Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach. Think the Egg Bowl will be just a little bit of fun. Kiffin has shown he can recruit and is a pretty solid playcaller, but he also like being bigger than the program. Leach will spread everyone out, which will bring curses from opposing coaches, have an occasional season of contending for the division and making a bowl game just about every year. And his press conferences will be must attend.
In alphabetical order they are:
Alabama
California
Clemson
Florida
Georgia
LSU
Minnesota
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Oregon
Penn State
USC
Virginia Tech
Group of Five teams to watch:
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Boise State
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Fresno State
Kent State
Marshall
Memphis
Miami Ohio
Navy
San Diego State
Southern Miss
UAB
UCF
Wyoming
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