The LSU Tigers have a storied football program. They currently sit at No. 12 in all-time wins with 817. The all-time winning percentage is No. 14 in FBS at .655. The Tigers’ four national championships have them tied at No. 16 with Texas and Georgia Tech.
While those are all-time marks, how does LSU compare over the last two decades? Athlon Sports ranked the top 10 college football programs since 2001. During that time the Tigers never had a losing season. Each of the three head coaches in the last 20 years guided the team to a national championship.
No. 3 LSU Tigers:
LSU has remained successful despite having three different head coaches (Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron) in the two most recent decades. All three garnered at least one SEC championship and one national title during their tenures in Baton Rouge. That trio compiled a tally of 179-55 (.765) versus FBS opponents, 139-51 (.732) against Power 5 teams, and 113-46 (.711) in SEC play. LSU had no losing seasons in that span. The Tigers also maintained this success in the postseason, posting a 7-1 record in BCS/New Year’s Six games and a 13-7 mark in all bowls.
Athlon did put the Ohio State Buckeyes ahead of LSU, despite that the Tigers have seen more success as far as national championships go. Ohio State has appeared in the College Football Playoffs a total of four times to LSU’s one. The No. 1 team on the list is Alabama, there isn’t a question of who was deserving giving their success under Nick Saban.
The only other SEC programs among the top 10 were Florida (No. 8) and Georgia (No. 9). All in all, the conference having four of the best 10 teams since 2001 just shows the level of competition in the SEC.
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LSU looks to climb back to the top and challenge Alabama this season.