Top 5 Best Football Teams in LSU Tigers History

As we reach the midway point in the offseason, the hype surrounding the upcoming LSU Tigers team set to take the field under head coach Lane Kiffin is astronomical, with many already crowning the team as national champions.

The fans are just hoping for any better result that what they've had in recent years with Brian Kelly at the helm, who was unable to achieve the level of success that his predecessors did in Baton Rouge.

With that being said, this is also a time to reminisce on the other stellar squads that have come out of the Bayou, and how they stack up to each other historically, so here is our take of the five greatest LSU football teams of all time.

5) 1958 (11-0)

Under the head coaching of Paul Dietzel, the 1958 LSU Tigers rode a perfect 11-0 record all the way through the Sugar Bowl, where they defeated the Clemson Tigers 7-0 after they had already secured the consensus national championship.

Offensively, the team was led by halfbacks Billy Cannon and Johnny Robinson, as well as quarterback Warren Rabb, while the defense was remembered for Dietzel's unique "three-platoon system," which featured the "Chinese Bandits."

LSU Tigers cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (7) raises his arms to the fans during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Arkansas 41-17. | Crystal LoGiudice-Imagn Images

4) 2011 (13-1)

In one of the greatest defensive seasons that the Tigers have ever put together, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu helped lead the Tigers to a No. 1 ranking early on in the season, as well as a win over the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in a battle of two undefeated teams that many have coined as a "Game of the Century."

Nick Saban and the Tide would get the last laugh, however, as they shut out Les Miles' Tigers in the BCS National Championship Game, 21-0.

LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles celebrates their 21-14 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

3) 2007 (12-2)

In their third year under Miles, the Tigers would also reach the top of the rankings in the first week of October before a loss to No. 17 Kentucky botted them down to No. 4, and though another win in Tuscaloosa against Alabama allowed them to climb back up to No. 1, a three-overtime loss to an unranked Arkansas team plummeted them down to No. 7 to end the regular season.

The team would rebound in a massive way, defeated No. 14 Tennessee in the conference championship game 21-14, before going on as the No. 2 team and defeating No. 1 Ohio State in the national championship game, 38-24, giving "The Mad Hatter" his lone championship as a head coach.

2) 2003 (13-1)

The Tigers had quite a string of coaches in the 2003 season. Nick Saban was at the helm, with Jimbo Fisher and Will Muschamp covering offensive and defensive coordinator duties.

With their lone loss coming at home against an unranked Florida Gators team, the Tigers held a No. 3 ranking for the most part of the season, eventually defeating the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship, as well as No. 3 Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship, a championship that they would end up sharing with the USC Trojans after LSU finished No. 1 in the Coaches Poll, and USC sat atop the AP Poll, the final time that a non-consensus title would occur.

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers players react after the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Jason Getz-Imagn Images

1) 2019 (15-0)

Was it really going to be any other team?

If many are saying that your team could beat the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, then you clearly did something right, and under the leadership of head coach Ed Orgeron and quarterback Joe Burrow, that's exactly how it shaped out for the Tigers in the 2019 season.

Finishing with a perfect 15-0 record, LSU wreaked havoc against every opponent that stood in their way, with the offensive trio of Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson heading an incredible season-long performance that saw the Tigers outscore their opponents 726 to 328, which resulted in their first conference win since the 2011 season with a 37-10 win over Georgia, a runaway 63-28 win in the Peach Bowl over Oklahoma, and finally a win in the national championship game over the Clemson Tigers, 42-25.

Burrow was awarded the Heisman Trophy with ease after throwing a then-record 60 touchdowns, Chase won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the country's top wide receiver, and Orgeron was awarded multiple Coach of the Year honors.

Even with the difficulty of their schedule, LSU's flawless performances against big names saw them defeat seven top 10 teams throughout the course of the season, including a 46-41 over Alabama in another barn burner at Bryant-Denny Stadium, with the national championship win cementing their status as one of, if not the greatest college football teams of all time.

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