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LSU won’t get a chance to play for an SEC title, but coach Les Miles doesn’t think that means the Tigers should be left out of the discussion for a spot in the national championship game.
LSU will try to do its part to keep its name in the hunt for a BCS berth when it hosts Mississippi on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Tigers (9-1, 5-1) won’t be representing the SEC West in the conference title game, with undefeated Auburn getting the chance to take on South Carolina. However, they still believe they should be in consideration for playing for the national championship, especially given how loaded the SEC is.
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In the West alone there are five teams in the Top 25 and the No. 17 Gamecocks make it six ranked teams in the conference. LSU is the top-ranked one-loss school and isn’t counting itself out of finishing ahead of No. 2 Auburn, which still has to play No. 10 Alabama and the Gamecocks.
In Miles’ opinion, “The highest-ranked team to come out of this conference should well have an opportunity to play in the national championship game.”
LSU’s only loss was 24-17 at Auburn on Oct. 23. It bounced back with a 24-21 win at home over then-No. 5 Alabama on Nov. 6 and also has victories over North Carolina, West Virginia and Florida, all of which were ranked at the time of the meetings. The Tigers close the season at No. 13 Arkansas next Saturday.
“Those other teams are just coasting through their schedule,” quarterback Jordan Jefferson said. “They play a few teams that probably can give them a challenge but … no comparison with what we play every week.”
The Tigers faced little opposition in a 51-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. The defense produced five turnovers, leading to 31 points, and Stevan Ridley rushed for 67 yards and two scores.
While Miles began the week talking about LSU being deserving of a BCS berth, he and his team are also being careful about not overlooking Mississippi, which has won the last two meetings against Tigers teams that were in the Top 25. Last season, LSU was ranked 10th when it lost 25-23 in Oxford.
“We have two big games ahead of us,” quarterback Jarrett Lee said. “Ole Miss has beaten us in these past two years. Last year was a big game and we just need to keep focused.”
Ole Miss (4-6, 1-5) has struggled after winning nine games in each of the last two seasons. The Rebels are 0-3 against ranked conference opponents, losing by a combined 47 points. They’ve dropped four of five overall, falling 52-14 at Tennessee last Saturday.
“It is easy to dwell on the negative,” coach Houston Nutt said. “I was the first one to say Saturday was embarrassing. If you think that you are hurting, you should be in my shoes. I am sick to my stomach when I think about the Tennessee game.
“I planned on having seven wins at this point in the season, six at the worst. The bottom line is we are not there, but I am not going to allow my players to be gloom and doom.”
Ole Miss was outgained 441-295 last weekend while Jeremiah Masoli had one of his worst career games, completing 7 of 18 passes for 80 yards and a career-high three interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also was held to 22 yards rushing.
Masoli had left the previous game with a concussion and was pulled in the fourth quarter last Saturday for Nathan Stanley, who went 3 of 6 for 19 yards. However, the Oregon transfer is expected to start this weekend.
Masoli could face another challenge against LSU’s pass defense. The Tigers rank fourth in the FBS, giving up 148.6 yards per game. They rank sixth with an average 14.6 points allowed.
“We are tremendously hot right now,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “We are definitely riding off each other right now … This defense is lots of fun to be around, and I just can’t wait to get out there again Saturday.”
The Tigers have won 10 straight at home since falling 13-3 to top-ranked Florida on Oct. 10, 2009.
LSU will try to do its part to keep its name in the hunt for a BCS berth when it hosts Mississippi on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Tigers (9-1, 5-1) won’t be representing the SEC West in the conference title game, with undefeated Auburn getting the chance to take on South Carolina. However, they still believe they should be in consideration for playing for the national championship, especially given how loaded the SEC is.
AdChoices
In the West alone there are five teams in the Top 25 and the No. 17 Gamecocks make it six ranked teams in the conference. LSU is the top-ranked one-loss school and isn’t counting itself out of finishing ahead of No. 2 Auburn, which still has to play No. 10 Alabama and the Gamecocks.
In Miles’ opinion, “The highest-ranked team to come out of this conference should well have an opportunity to play in the national championship game.”
LSU’s only loss was 24-17 at Auburn on Oct. 23. It bounced back with a 24-21 win at home over then-No. 5 Alabama on Nov. 6 and also has victories over North Carolina, West Virginia and Florida, all of which were ranked at the time of the meetings. The Tigers close the season at No. 13 Arkansas next Saturday.
“Those other teams are just coasting through their schedule,” quarterback Jordan Jefferson said. “They play a few teams that probably can give them a challenge but … no comparison with what we play every week.”
The Tigers faced little opposition in a 51-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. The defense produced five turnovers, leading to 31 points, and Stevan Ridley rushed for 67 yards and two scores.
While Miles began the week talking about LSU being deserving of a BCS berth, he and his team are also being careful about not overlooking Mississippi, which has won the last two meetings against Tigers teams that were in the Top 25. Last season, LSU was ranked 10th when it lost 25-23 in Oxford.
“We have two big games ahead of us,” quarterback Jarrett Lee said. “Ole Miss has beaten us in these past two years. Last year was a big game and we just need to keep focused.”
Ole Miss (4-6, 1-5) has struggled after winning nine games in each of the last two seasons. The Rebels are 0-3 against ranked conference opponents, losing by a combined 47 points. They’ve dropped four of five overall, falling 52-14 at Tennessee last Saturday.
“It is easy to dwell on the negative,” coach Houston Nutt said. “I was the first one to say Saturday was embarrassing. If you think that you are hurting, you should be in my shoes. I am sick to my stomach when I think about the Tennessee game.
“I planned on having seven wins at this point in the season, six at the worst. The bottom line is we are not there, but I am not going to allow my players to be gloom and doom.”
Ole Miss was outgained 441-295 last weekend while Jeremiah Masoli had one of his worst career games, completing 7 of 18 passes for 80 yards and a career-high three interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also was held to 22 yards rushing.
Masoli had left the previous game with a concussion and was pulled in the fourth quarter last Saturday for Nathan Stanley, who went 3 of 6 for 19 yards. However, the Oregon transfer is expected to start this weekend.
Masoli could face another challenge against LSU’s pass defense. The Tigers rank fourth in the FBS, giving up 148.6 yards per game. They rank sixth with an average 14.6 points allowed.
“We are tremendously hot right now,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “We are definitely riding off each other right now … This defense is lots of fun to be around, and I just can’t wait to get out there again Saturday.”
The Tigers have won 10 straight at home since falling 13-3 to top-ranked Florida on Oct. 10, 2009.
