LSU Football: 5 Takeaways from breakthrough 2018 season

5. LSU far exceeded preseason expectations

The majority of prognosticators had LSU pegged as the fourth or fifth best SEC West team, with no one thinking the Tigers would seriously challenge for the Western division crown, particularly with a loaded schedule.

LSU opened the season No. 25 in the AP Poll, and were given little to no chance of knocking off a Top 10 Miami team in Dallas on the opening weekend of the season. Instead, they announced themselves as contenders on the national stage by throttling the Hurricanes.

They proved that win was anything but an aberration with a last second win over Auburn on the road a couple of weeks later. The win at Jordan-Hare Stadium propelled the Tigers up near the Top 5.

A loss on the road to Florida did little to quell the enthusiasm that had built on the Bayou, especially when they rebounded the next week to hammer Georgia 36-16. That set up a Top 5 matchup with Alabama in Death Valley on the first weekend of November.

A loss to the Crimson Tide ended their hopes in the SEC West, and gave indication that they still had a ways to go.

The marathon 7-OT loss to Texas A&M nearly knocked LSU out of the New Year’s Six, but they still received a berth into the Fiesta Bowl to battle undefeated UCF and their sterling 25-game winning streak.

Despite plenty of roster attrition due to injuries, suspensions, and draft declarations, the Tigers still rolled over UCF in Glendale in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated to help them reach 10 wins for the first time in five years.

LSU ultimately finished ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll, their highest finish since coming in 2nd in 2011.