College Football 2015 Preview No. 13: LSU Tigers

Regular Season Records: 8-4, 9-3, 10-2, 12-0

SRS Rankings: 24, 16, 10, 2

Talking Point: Les Miles’ discipline, or lack thereof. The Tigers head coach reinstated lineman Jevonte Domond, who has pending domestic violence charges. This is the same man who brought Jeremy Hill back and let Jeremy Hill on campus initially. Miles won’t tolerate behavior in May. But, he becomes quite tolerant in August, when it affects the ol’ two deep.

Why to Like Them: Leonard Fournette is a potential breakout star at tailback, behind a solid offensive line. LSU’s top four receivers are back and talented. Three of them, freshmen last year, should get better. On defense, the secondary is loaded with NFL talent. Kendell Beckwith should provide stability in the middle at linebacker.

Why Not To Like Them: The Tigers face a typical Les Miles quarterback conundrum: veteran who didn’t look good last year or young guy who didn’t look good when thrust into action last year? On defense, there’s uncertainty up front. John Chavis left. They lost two key contributors to the 2015 draft. It’s not clear who will step up under Kevin Steele and Ed Orgeron or in what system. Steele has been a 3-4 guy.

Schedule: Not so bad, by SEC West standards. Their toughest non-conference opponent is Syracuse. Florida and (at) South Carolina is a reasonable SEC East draw. Half-empty: they head to Alabama and Ole Miss. Half-full: they get Auburn, Texas A&M and Arkansas at home.

Reasonable Projection: Stable to good quarterback play? LSU could be a playoff team. Erratic quarterback play? LSU could take a tumble in a rough SEC West. The Tigers seem like a team to watch for next year. A playoff run this year may be premature. The Tigers seem like they’ll be in the mix with 4-5 SEC West teams in the 8-9 win range.

Random Alum: Bill Conti