Three Observations: LSU Deserves No. 1 Spot in College Football Playoff After Convincing Win over No. 4 Georgia
Now that No. 2 LSU has sealed its fate and punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff, the big question that will have to wait until Sunday morning is where the Tigers will be seeded.
Behind a third straight game where LSU controlled from start to finish, this time over top-four Georgia, the Tigers have done all they possibly can to convince the committee, that for the last two weeks, they've got it wrong. Here were three observations to take away from Saturday's win.
With SEC Championship win, no resume stacks up with the Tigers
As this is being written, Ohio State is currently losing to Wisconsin 21-7 at halftime. With that in mind, no matter win or lose for the Buckeyes, the Tigers proved once and for all who the College Football Playoff Committee should select at the top spot.
LSU has now beaten five top-10 teams at the time of kickoff (Texas, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia), two of which were in the top-five. The argument all along for Ohio State was the Buckeyes have "looked" like a more rounded team.
The belief was that the LSU defense was suspect at best and not to the standard of Ohio State. However, given that the Buckeyes have struggled so much with Wisconsin in the Big-10 Championship and the strength of schedule favors LSU, there's no reason the committee shouldn't have the Tigers at No. 1 in the rankings 11 a.m. Sunday, when the final rankings are released.
Boasting an historic offense with a defense, that over the last two games has allowed 17 points combined, the momentum, schedule and most importantly, talent is there for LSU.
Coach Ed Orgeron said again after the game the Tigers will face any team they're asked to play which is what a coach should say to instill confidence in his players. Orgeron also said he thought his team was the best in all the land and after Saturday night's performance, can you honestly disagree with him?
LSU defense proves this team has no weaknesses
It was a third straight dominating performance from the LSU defense in the 37-10 win over Georgia in the SEC Championship. It started against Arkansas as the starting unit allowed just six points through three quarters.
Then there was last week's performance against Texas A&M that stifled Jimbo Fisher and that offense to 169 yards and seven points. Those consecutive strong showings culminated into one more elite day at the office against the Bulldogs.
The numbers were impressive as Georgia combined for 286 yards and 10 points for a run offense that was among the best in the SEC. The 65 yards rushing from Georgia were a season-low.
LSU was able to get pressure on quarterback Jake Fromm, who failed to complete 50% of his passes while also throwing two interceptions and sacked twice.
It's safe to say this defense is playing its best ball at the most opportune time, including freshman Derek Stingley, who grabbed the two interceptions off of Fromm in the win.
"Our play on defense, it was amazing, but this is what we've been working for since the summer," Stingley said. "We knew that if everybody worked together, nobody could really compete with us."
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda spoke with Fletcher Mackel of WDSU after the game to express his excitement about the defensive performance.
"I'm proud of our players, proud of our coaches, a lot of talent and alot of ability and I'm looking forward to what we're about to do," Aranda said. "We're a complete team and I'm excited to be a part of it and we're just getting started."
Joe Burrow puts finishing touches on Heisman run
When the 2019 Heisman finalists are announced Monday, it will only be a formality as LSU quarterback Joe Burrow locked up 2019 with another electrifying performance against the No. 2 defense in the country.
Just think about this, coming into Saturday, the Bulldogs had allowed opponents to score an average of 10.4 points per game while giving up 257 yards a game, fourth best. Led by Burrow, the LSU offense had surpassed that point average by the end of the first quarter.
Burrow tossed for 349 yards and four touchdowns en route to an MVP performance in the SEC Championship. On the first drive, Burrow broke the conference record for touchdowns in a season. His 406 total yards were more yards than Georgia had allowed an opposing offense all season long.
He literally did it all Saturday, rushing for 41 yards and even catching a 16-yard pass of his own after a Georgia defender batted it back in his hands. It's those types of plays, those moments that have made this season so special to watch.
His 71-yard completion to Justin Jefferson in the third quarter with LSU leading 20-3, a signature Heisman moment that will likely be played in Baton Rouge for years to come.
As the Heisman ceremony approaches on Dec. 14, his stats are second to none in the country. He's thrown for 4,715 yards, 48 touchdowns and completing 77.9% of his passes, an NCAA record.
Burrow has played it coy all season but the senior should really get to work on his acceptance speech because he's going to need (at least) one.
