Spring football roundups: Overlooked LSU
LSU went 10-4 in year one under Brian Kelly and played for the SEC Championship. In year two could they fully supplant Alabama as the top team in the West?
It was pretty easy to anticipate LSU’s SEC West contention, if not their actual division title. Brian Kelly’s fake southern accent at LSU basketball games, cringe dance videos with recruits on social media, and the fact his entire Notre Dame staff elected to stay behind rather than following him to Baton Rouge all painted the picture of a unlikable villain who’s easy to root against.
Such things make it easy to convince yourself the guy won’t be an effective football coach, a conclusion which makes zero sense in light of his actual resume. This is a man who slowly built Grand Valley State into the back-to-back DII Champions, built Central Michigan into a winner, put together an undefeated team at Cincinnati, then slowly built Notre Dame back into a National Power with a BCS title game appearance and two showings in the playoffs.
Compare Kelly’s resume to that of LSU’s last two head coaches, each of whom won National Championships with Tiger talent, and it’s not really close. So yeah, the 30-year head coaching veteran was able to put together a winning staff and roster in year one.
What’s possible in year two?
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