LSU Football Comes in at No. 8 in Sports Illustrated's "Still Standing" Top-16 Preseason Rankings

LSU football was ranked No. 6 on Monday in the preseason top-25 AP Poll. The poll included rankings of teams out of the Big Ten and Pac-12, the two Power Five conferences who have elected not to participate in the fall because of COVID-19 concerns.

The national team at Sports Illustrated, spearheaded by writers Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde, decided to take a different approach to the preseason rankings, electing to rank the top-16 teams, eliminating the Big Ten and Pac-12 programs. Why are only 16 teams ranked you might ask?

Well, it’s 60% of 25, and only 60% of the FBS leagues are still playing. So, mathematically, it is a proportionate ranking.

Ok, now that the metrics are out of the way, Dellenger and Forde pin LSU as the No. 8 team heading into the season. LSU ranks below the usual suspects in Clemson, Alabama and Georgia, who have been in the top-five preseason rankings for what feels like decades.

But LSU is also ranked behind Florida, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State by Forde and Dellenger heading into the 2020 season. Here's the reasoning behind the Tigers' ranking:

Ed Orgeron expected a wave of departures from his national championship team, but what happened in Baton Rouge was downright cruel. Nine underclassmen left early. Of the 22 starters, 14 are gone. The Tigers lost their leading passer, leading pass catcher, leading rusher, leading tackler and leading sacker. The man who overhauled the offense, passing game coordinator Joe Brady, is now with the Carolina Panthers, and the man who oversaw the defense for four years, Dave Aranda, is now coaching Baylor. Aranda’s replacement is Bo Pelini, the former Nebraska coach, who is turning a 3–4 system into a 4–3. His assets include star cornerback Derek Stingley.

Schematically, the offense of coordinator Steve Ensminger is likely to remain similar to the one Heisman Trophy–winning QB Joe Burrow guided to a 15–0 record. Whether it’s as dominant—well, that’s a tall challenge. Redshirt junior Myles Brennan takes the reins after having thrown just 70 passes in his career. While five of Burrow’s top eight targets from last season are gone, at least junior Ja’Marr Chase is back after piling up a nation-leading 1,780 yards last year. —R.D.

Player to Watch

: A consensus All-America as a true freshman, the 6' 1", 195-pound Stingley is ready for his encore. All he did last year was lead the SEC in interceptions (six) and passes defended (21). The school describes Stingley on its website as “arguably the most impactful true freshman in LSU history."

Here’s the full ranking:

Clemson
Alabama
Georgia
Oklahoma
Florida
Notre Dame
Oklahoma State
LSU
Texas A&M
Cincinati
Texas
Auburn
Memphis
North Carolina
Florida State
Applachian State

It's the point that LSU fans have heard ad nauseam really since the start of spring ball. Did the purple and gold lose too much talent to the draft to remain in the championship mix?

The Tigers have enough returning talent to at least remain competitive. LSU is also bringing in enough talent that will keep them in most games at the end.

On Tuesday morning's appearance on Baton Rouge radio show Off the Bench, coach Ed Orgeron said he walked off the field a few days ago with the opinion that transfer Jabril Cox looked like the best player on the field. Linebacker was seen as a position of weakness after the loss of Patrick Queen and Jacob Phillips but Cox and junior Damone Clark have been encouraging enough to think it could be a strength.

"We've got some excellent players that are going to add depth to our team and some of them are going to start," Orgeron said on Off the Bench in late July.

That's just one example. Offensive line is a spotlight position group to watch as well as quarterback. If Brennan can have the time to get the ball out to his still very impressive weapons, the offense shouldn't take a huge step back.

How it all gels in the coming weeks will be the question on everyone's mind heading into that Sept. 26 kickoff with Mississippi State.