Saturday Blitz
Fansided

SEC Football: Ranking most important 2021 non-conference games

By John Scimeca

CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 31: The Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers line up for a snap during the game at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2013 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 31: The Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers line up for a snap during the game at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2013 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – APRIL 17: LSU Tigers prepare to take the field for the spring game at Tiger Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – APRIL 17: LSU Tigers prepare to take the field for the spring game at Tiger Stadium on April 17, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

817. FOX. 836. 8:30 PM ET. Saturday, Sept. 4. 0. . 0

Is LSU ready to bounce back to that championship form after last year’s 5-5 debacle?

Better yet, do the Tigers have an actually consistent “form” to which they can return? Some have made the argument that the 2019 national title run behind the drastic improvement of quarterback Joe Burrow was more of a “flash in the pan” than most LSU fans are willing to admit.

In 2019, Burrow outperformed any other LSU quarterback to historic levels. For example, the current Cincinnati Bengal starter threw for 60 touchdown passes in his final season in Baton Rouge; before that, no LSU quarterback had even thrown for half that amount in a year.

Then 2020 happened to the Bayou Bengals as the team struggled through a forgettable season that featured losses to Mississippi State and Missouri. If not for a thrown shoe in the Florida game, LSU could have easily finished the year with a losing record for the first time in 22 years.

Not much is expected of the Bruins this season. They’ve received a couple of votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, but Chip Kelly has clearly underwhelmed during his three years in Los Angeles. The former NFL boss has compiled a 10-21 record through three seasons with the Bruins.

If the Tigers struggle or lose to UCLA to start the 2021 season, the seat will start to feel a little more uncomfortable for Ed Orgeron. The football program and athletic department as a whole have faced some bad publicity in the offseason, and the 2019 national title will become a distant memory if LSU drops this one.

Home/SEC