LSU Rocks the Past Ten Years
Editor’s Note: This is Part III in a series by contributors to The College Football Voice. Previous articles are still available on this blog and include a look at the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Let us know what you think. Comment on the post or send an email to editor@collegefootballvoice.com. We’d love to hear from you.
A trip through the Louisiana bayou will leave a visitor with three clinging notions. One, the bayou is some hot, muggy, rough, tough country. Two, drinking is a rite of passion, hence the drive-through Margarita stands and laws, or lack thereof, for open container. Three, Louisianans love their Tigers. They’ll take every opportunity to let you know you’re in Bayou Bengal territory and they certainly believe LSU is the best team in this past decade. I’m here to give you facts to support that notion.
Despite wearing hideous purple uniforms, LSU has produced a solid gold and platinum decade of football. LSU is 99-30 in the past ten seasons. The Tigers have completed a 76% winning percentage over a ten year run that averaged almost ten wins per season. That run includes two National Titles (2003, 2007), three SEC Conference Titles (2001, 2003, 2007), four SEC West Division Titles (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007), 8 years in the final AP Poll including five in the Top 10, a 7-3 post season bowl record, and 4 BCS Bowl appearances each one of them a victory.
The Tigers were in a bit of a slump leading into the 2000 season. Blowouts to Auburn and Florida and a loss to UAB that year sparked doubt in the Tiger faithful, but Saban’s ‘No Bullcrap’, business first attitude reassured even the most pessimistic of Cajuns. Saban put LSU back in bowl contention by earning a Peach Bowl invite which concluded with a win over Georgia Tech and capped an 8-4 season. Saban immediately began to instill a better recruiting base for the Tigers that would include names like Matt Mauk, LaBrandon Toefield, Joseph Addai, Bradie James, Marcus Spears, and Corey Webster.
LSU finalized the 2001 regular season with two closing victories over SEC West opponents to regain a national ranking and clinch the division. The Tigers clamped down on the nation’s attention by upsetting #2 Tennessee in the SEC championship game and earned the BCS bid. LSU traveled the 100 miles south to New Orleans to meet #7 Illinois head on in the Sugar Bowl and defeated the Illiini 47-34. They finished #12 in the final Polls.
In 2003, lightening struck the valley and the electricity reverberated through the Louisiana Bayou. The Tigers, led by Nick Saban, cruised through a 12-1 season including a 34-13 mangling win over Georgia in the SEC championship. Destiny led LSU back to New Orleans for a Sugar Bowl National Championship game with #3 Oklahoma. It was a thrilling battle, but in the end the Tigers persevered beating the Sooners 21-14 and earning their first National Title of the decade.
Les Miles took over in 2005 with big irons blazing. His ‘Riverboat Gambler’ mentality fit right into the mischievous Cajun environment. The Tigers earned another West division title in his first season, but lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game. That year the Tigers dismantled #9 Miami in the Peach Bowl with a 40-3 win.
In 2007, lightening struck the valley again. The Tigers spent nearly the entire season at #1 or #2 in the polls with the exception of yielding those ranks following losses to Kentucky and Arkansas. The Tigers still managed to capture another West division title and SEC Championship berth. The loss to the Razorbacks in the final week of the season set up a string of events as bizarre and controversial as the BCS could possibly muster. LSU fell to #5 and defeated Tennessee in the conference championship, then watched as poll leaders West Virginia and Missouri dropped their final games paving the way for LSU to climb right back on top. The BCS was dealt a difficult hand as the polls displayed every team in the Top 10 with 2 or less losses on the season. Nevertheless, destiny led LSU once more down Interstate 10 to the National Championship in New Orleans where they handled Ohio State 38-24.
LSU established themselves not just as a force and contender in the SEC West, but as the class of the division. The road to the SEC championship currently goes through Baton Rouge. In this decade they were 54-10 at home. ESPN The Magazine ranked LSU the #1 Most Spirited Student Section. ESPN.com voted Tiger Stadium the scariest place to play, a notion echoed by opposing SEC coaches. Even Paul “Bear” Bryant, former Alabama Head Coach, is on record stating, “Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world for a visiting team. It’s like being inside a drum.” Every single top 25 crowd attendance record took place in the last decade including the largest ever, 93,039 on November 8, 2008. Leading the way for such results were the 49 players drafted to the NFL, not including the 2009 class. Most notably were college football extraordinaire players Jamarcus Russell and Glen Dorsey.
The LSU Football Tiger program has either been superior or highly competitive on the field in nearly every single game this past decade. Monster college football talent, excellent coaching, and a fan base that ranks second to none have all contributed to the division of excellence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana witnessed by the college football nation. The Bayou Bengal bid for ‘Team of the Decade’ is strong and paralleled by few teams in the last ten years.
I agree…LSU never had the flash of say…Florida or USC…..so they are often overlooked…but they have won 2 NC’s,are 4-0 in BCS BOWLS…they get my vote for ” Team of the Decade “….