Why are people so in love with LSU suddenly?
The outpouring of love from the media for LSU has ben stunning this year. Sports Illustrated did an article on the beauty of the spread offense about Northwestern State. People couldn’t stop talking about Joe Burrow’s freak performance against Texas (forgetting LSU’s defense had given up a boatload to Texas that day). College Gameday went to Death Valley for the LSU/Florida game – a game covered by ESPN (which made Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit happy, because generally their games this season have been utterly forgettable). And then, when LSU went to Alabama, they beat them for the first time in eight years.
It wasn’t just Alabama or Nick Saban-haters who celebrated. It felt like the whole country.
THE BACKGROUND
But this wasn’t always the case. LSU fans seemed to love The Mad Hatter and his recruiting, but in the end fell out of love when the ‘fun tricks’ covered up his utter incompetence came through – especially when it came to hiring offensive coordinators, who seemed to ignore the amount of talent the school had at receiving coaches, prompting any good quarterback in the country to go “I’m definitely NOT playing there”. And they hated the fact that his record against Alabama was 3-7, including getting blown out in a National Championship Game.
But then Ed Orgeron came in. His time at Ole Miss was terrible, but after that, he was much beloved. People couldn’t understand why he wasn’t hired by USC, where he was much-loved. And when he came to LSU, there was a mixed feeling.
For the first couple of years, LSU came away with pleasing records (7-2 and 10-3) which included a number of Top 10 victories, but the loss to Troy (2017), as well as domination in games and recruiting by Alabama, had ‘Coach O”s plentiful behind put on the hot seat.
But then came 2019. Ed Orgeron hired Joe Brady, a young offensive coordinator from the Penn State/ New Orleans Saints lineage, told his buddy Steve Ensminger to effectively take a back seat, and is promptly unbeaten – including beating Alabama. And unlike Les Miles, Ed Orgeron’s teams are winning in an exciting, fun manner.
The team’s won the SEC Championship, and it’s in the College Football Play-Off.
It seems the world is in love with LSU.
- It’s not Alabama
There seems to be an underlying trend in college football that when Nick Saban loses, an angel gets its wings. People seem to downright hate Alabama – even more than usual. Maybe it’s because it’s been simmering as people see the houndstooth. Maybe it’s because Alabama fans seem to lose worse than other college football fans (every loss is not about shrugging shoulder but a full-on outcry). Or maybe its because people are just bored to hell of Alabama winning, and winning and winning. People are resigned to ‘Alabama No.1, Clemson No.2’ and hope that if there’s an overturning off the applecart, then great. So when LSU won in Tuscaloosa, it felt less like an exorcism, but more an overturning of the applecart.
And in a world that’s been Tua, Tua, Tua, it’s been refreshing that the name on everyone’s lips going to the NFL Draft will be Joe Burrow, who’s making amazing plays and putting up video game numbers en route to the schoo’s first Heisman since 1959. He’s fun, he’s emotional, and he’s exceptional.
2. Everyone loves Coach O
Ed Orgeron is a more competent version Iowa State’s former coach Paul Rhoads. Like Rhoads, he loves his guys. You get the impression he would run through a wall for them. He ends every interview – with his immensely gravelly, Louisianan voice with “Go Tigahs”, something that has been mimicked by every college football fan in America (apart from Alabama and Florida fans, you suspect). His speech in the locker room – while it pissed off some – might have ended up with him apologising, but to be quite honest, wasn’t that what every coach would have said after getting a monkey off its back?
3. The offense is fun
As mentioned before, people loved Les Miles and the ‘haul-it-out-of-your-ass’ offense, but it was repetitive. He simply gave it to a running back, and expected that to be that. But his quarterbacks since JaMarcus Russell have been nigh-on terrible, taking away the talent that he recruited in the wide receiver area. But Joe Brady has revolutionised things. They have a capable QB in Joe Burrow. The damned talented wide receivers seem to be running smoother routes. It’s just….so fun to watch. And coupled up with a defense that is (ahem) not great and you’ve got what is basically a very talented Big 12 team.
4. It’s great for a state that’s had it tough
A lot of people love going to New Orleans to destroy their livers and have a good time, and the New Orleans Saints have been one of the NFL’s most celebrated franchises – mainly since Hurricane Katrina. But despite the population of the state going, the state is still facing its problems. The state has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country. There has been a ‘brain drain’ from the city, where a bunch of people move to ‘where the money is’ like Houston and other places. And it seems that people want Louisiana to be happy. So when LSU beat Alabama, it felt like college football was celebrating the Saints.
And if they keep up their immense recruiting standards – they are ranked third in the nation and second in the SEC (behind Alabama) – like this, will be putting a wall around the same way in the same way as great teams at Miami put a wall around the city when building their phenomenal teams in the early times. Six of the incoming 2020 group of commits are scheduled to sign with the Tigers come National Signing Day Part 1 next week.
5. And to repeat….
It’s not Alabama.