The deed is done. LSU will have a new coach in 2022. What happens next? Whom will LSU hire? How attractive is the LSU football program? And while Scott Woodward searches for Ed Orgeron's replacement, what about all these games — starting with Saturday's trip to Ole Miss? As our own Scott Rabalais notes, the Tigers have always played well after a firing. After Mike Archer resigned in 1990, LSU beat Tulane. After firing Curley Hallman in 1994, LSU beat Tulane and Arkansas. After firing Gerry DiNardo in 1999, LSU beat Arkansas under interim coach Hal Hunter. And in 2016, LSU went 6-2 under Orgeron after Les Miles was terminated. That doesn't mean the Tigers will beat Lane Kiffin and the Rebels on Saturday. They are eight-point underdogs. But the pressure is off. Here's everything you need to know before LSU and Ole Miss tee it up at 2:30 p.m. on CBS, live from Oxford, Mississippi. COVER STORY: HOW ATTRACTIVE IS THE LSU JOB? Many consider LSU one of the best jobs in the country. What makes the school such an attractive destination for football coaches? The answer boils down its recruiting base, financial support, game day atmosphere and facilities. But there's more to it than that. SCOTT RABALAIS: No doubt plenty of candidates out there are interested in the LSU job, or at least intrigued. No doubt they are viewing LSU as a high-risk, high-reward kind of place. Someone will figure they can succeed where Les Miles and Ed Orgeron failed at the end. Where most coaches have failed at the end. Here’s why. PREDICTIONS: You want game predictions? Of course you do. One of our experts picked LSU. See why he did — and why the others didn't. Wilson Alexander, Scott Rabalais, Sheldon Mickles and Zach Ewing weigh in on Saturday's game. BEST TV GAMES OF THE WEEK: Listen, you're not going to watch just one game Saturday. You've got lots of options. Our own Sheldon Mickles is here with a handy guide, breaking down the top five matchups to watch. INSIDE THE BETTING LINE: LSU is going on the road to meet the nation's No. 12-ranked team, but the Tigers are only getting 8 points on the spread, and they're less of an underdog than they were last week. Zach Ewing takes a look at the line and the over/under (and some Heisman implications). FOUR KEYS TO VICTORY: LSU has a chance to win two straight games over ranked teams if the Tigers can pull off another upset Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. These are Wilson Alexander's keys to the game. (Yes, containing Matt Corral is one of them.) A LOOK AT OLE MISS’ TOP PLAYERS: Don't overthink this: quarterback Matt Corral, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is one of them. Sheldon Mickles takes a look at Corral and the Rebels' top players, including receiver Dontario Drummond and defensive end Sam Williams. This is a talented Ole Miss team. SEC RANKINGS, FROM Nos. 1-14: LSU made a big jump in Sheldon Mickles' rankings this week, thanks to the Tigers' upset win over Florida in Tiger Stadium. Take a look at where they landed, as well as the rest of the nation's toughest conference. Finally: If you’re not a subscriber, come join us. Our sportswriters are a good group, and they’ll keep you up to date on the latest news at LSU (and elsewhere). Support their work and stay on top of everything. It’s going to be a wild couple of months around here. |