LSU Football: 2017 Season preview and predictions
Schedule and predictions
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | vs. BYU | Houston, Tx. |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Chattanooga | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | @ Mississippi State | Starkville, Ms. |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | vs. Syracuse | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | vs. Troy | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | @ Florida | Gainesville, Fl. |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | vs. Auburn | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | @ Ole Miss | Oxford, Ms. |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | BYE WEEK | |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | @ Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Al. |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | vs. Arkansas | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | @ Tennessee | Knoxville, Tn. |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | vs. Texas A&M | Baton Rouge, La. |
LSU opens up the season in Houston against the BYU Cougars. While they might not have as much swagger as the Tigers, the Cougars are going to be a scary team in 2017. Tiger fans ought to not count that as a win before the clock runs out. After that the team has a few “gimme” games before the meat of the SEC schedule begins in October against Florida.
The SEC might not be as strong as it once was, but it’s a gauntlet none the less. Former LSU head coach Les Miles wasn’t fired because he couldn’t win. No, he was let go because he couldn’t make it through the entirety of the SEC schedule without someone tripping his team up right before the finish line. More often than not, that was Alabama, but even Arkansas can be intimidating during the heart of the conference schedule.
Like Miles’ teams before him, Oregon will win a few big games early. The Tigers will be rewarded with a top 25 ranking. But I’m still not a believer in the staying power of LSU or Orgeron. Until he wins consistently I’m learning towards the under. ESPN FPI tabs the Tigers as a borderline 8-4 or 9-3 team. That’s a bit too rich for my liking. I see one, maybe two wins in the month of November. That’s going to hurt the bottom line and leave them unranked by the end of the season.
Prediction: 7-5
Next: Ranking the top 50 CFB players in 2017
Consider me a pessimist when it comes to Orgeron’s hiring at LSU. Midway through the Texas A&M game last season the word was out that the Tigers had hired Tom Herman. That fell through and LSU was left with Orgeron. He seems like a great guy, and a decent coordinator, but not the caliber of coach you’d expect to be in charge of a blue-blood program like LSU.