The first AP Top 25 poll was released earlier this week with LSU coming in at No. 13. It’s a familiar spot for the Tigers, who have been ranked between 12 and 16 in six of the last 12 preseason polls.
It’s a step below where LSU began 2023 at No. 5, but nearly identical to LSU’s No. 12 finish.
It begs the question: Is LSU underrated?
On the surface, No. 13 is fair. LSU is behind several teams that either made the NY6 or competed for a playoff spot last year. LSU did neither. But some of the numbers suggest LSU is better than the 13th-best team in the country.
According to FanDuel, the Tigers have the seventh-best odds to win the national title at +1800. That speaks to the ceiling of this team. LSU sits No. 10 in SP+. There’s not a huge disparity there, but again it shows LSU might be a little better than the current media perception.
LSU has its questions. It’s not easy to replace a Heisman QB and rebuilding a defense in a single offseason is even harder. But there are a few teams ahead in the poll that would be underdogs against LSU if the game were tomorrow.
Preseason polls don’t matter, especially with the playoff’s existence. Even if LSU entered the year with a top-10 ranking, it wouldn’t mean much. The last two times LSU began the year in the top 10 ended with the Tigers falling short of expectations.
LSU’s ranking makes sense, and it’s hard to argue with, but it has a good shot to finish higher than it’s starting.
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