There is no easy way to say this. LSU fans may want to close their ears for this one. LSU lost to Troy 24-21 on Saturday night in “Death Valley.” Sure, Troy is not a doormat of a team. Be that as it may, Troy is not even near the competition of the SEC Conference.
Troy came into the game at 3-1, with their only loss coming to Boise St. 24-13. That’s respectable to say the least. The odds makers obviously didn’t have this one right. LSU came into the game a 20.5 favorite. On the other hand, the Trojans sure looked dominate.
Troy had come off of two close wins vs. Akron and New Mexico St. by a total of eight points. Also, Troy was picked to finish 3rd in the preseason rankings by Phil Steele. Troy came into Tiger Stadium to face an LSU team that won 49 straight non-conference games in a row. This tweet says it all.
It has been 6,217 days since LSU lost a non-conference home game.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 1, 2017
It’s been that long. That streak was an astounding accomplishment by former coach Les Miles. Then again, LSU fans wanted Les Miles to go. Their wishes were granted. Now they may be thinking twice about that call.
Regardless, the Tigers are now 3-2 and have yet to face the toughest part of their schedule. The next three of four games are against Florida, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Alabama. For this reason, the Tigers are setting themselves for mediocrity. In other words, the start of a long enduring stretch that resembles 1989-1994.
In 1989, the LSU Tigers started a stretch of six years of losing records. Of course, this is a time that Tiger fans would like to forget. Furthermore, the idea that a #15 ranked team could fall that low is unthinkable.
First and foremost, the Troy Trojans broke something Saturday. Not only did the Trojans beat the LSU Tigers and snap the streak, they simply dominated. LSU was 16-0 against the Sunbelt conference coming into the game against Troy. In addition, Troy had just beaten a ranked team once in 21 tries before Saturday’s historic win.
Ultimately, this loss represents more than all of that. In my opinion, the LSU Tigers are heading into very dangerous territory. From here on, there is always gonna be recruits that see that loss on the schedule in 2017. Even so, it’s the future that really matters. LSU has been on top for so long. Inevitably, LSU football has been overdue for a wake up call. Even if it’s just for a year or two.
To put it another way, the Tigers are heading in the wrong direction. Until the Tigers win a meaningful game, the chirping will continue. Although this may be true, the sting could be numbed by some huge wins. While the tough part of the schedule is coming, it’s also an opportunity to see what this team is made of.
If Coach Orgeron wants to be at LSU for a long time, then winning every week better come quickly. LSU fans and boosters are not known for being patient. Additionally, the hiring of Coach O didn’t exactly come with overwhelming admiration. Coach O was not exactly the first or second choice. However, this is his “once in a lifetime” chance to prove everyone wrong.
This game against Florida is gonna be bigger than the previous five. Winning cures everything.
