No. 16: LSU Tigers
Friday, August 6, 2010 at 10:42AM 
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
In a year when the SEC West appears to belong to Alabama once again, LSU, Auburn and Arkansas will slug it out for second place. Two things give LSU the slightest of edges in this race:
Jordan Jefferson and a defense full of hungry new starters ready to continue the LSU tradition on that side of the ball.
Jefferson this preseason is hardly being hyped as a game-changing quarterback, but one thing to remember is that his 2009 stats (2,166 passing yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs) were just fine. It was his mental game that tripped him up. Tentative, indecisive, throwing the ball away early -- Jefferson looked inexperienced. There's a simple reason for that -- he was.
EXTRA: Images From 2009 Florida-LSU Game
And perhaps the best thing for making progress in that area is game experience, which, at age 19, he got plenty of last year during those 12 starts. And as preseason practice began Thursday in Baton Rouge, one thing I've already read a handful of times is Jefferson's offseason preparation and maturation.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while a 9-4 season under Les Miles is considered substandard, three of those losses were to teams ranked among the top nine in last season's final AP poll. And the fourth, Mississippi, finished No. 20 and LSU should have been able to reverse that two-point loss had it not been for Miles' late-game, clock-management failure.
Two stars and only four starters return on defense, but several standouts from LSU's great 2009 recruiting class appear ready to step in and make key contributions. The Tigers logged only 21 sacks last year, but once again, there's speed aplenty among the front seven, and the secondary is the deepest of the units, led by star CB Patrick Peterson. Look for LSU to be more like, well, LSU on defense in 2010.
Who's back? QB Jordan Jefferson, WR Terrance Toliver, LB Kelvin Sheppard, CB Patrick Peterson
Who's gone? RB Charles Scott, WR Brandon LaFell, OT Ciron Black, S Chad Jones
Why they'll win: Young players on both sides of the ball will develop into SEC-ready performers.
Why they'll lose: A lack of depth at key positions and difficult non-league and road schedules.
Get your tickets: vs. North Carolina (at Atlanta, Sept. 4), at Florida (Oct. 9), vs. Alabama (Nov. 6)
Prediction: 8-4 (5-3, second place SEC West)
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