Les Miles' Tigers are one of eight SEC teams in initial Top 25
The LSU Tigers enter the 2015 college football season seemingly with more questions on the roster than answers, yet still made enough of an impression on voters to be ranked 14th in the Associated Press' preseason poll.
The Ohio State Buckeyes took the top honors receiving all 61 first-place votes while the SEC led Power 5 conferences with eight teams in the Top 25. The Tigers were in the middle of the SEC pack behind No. 3 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn, and No. 9 Georgia. The other SEC teams in the initial Top 25 were No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 18 Arkansas, No. 24 Missouri, and No. 25 Tennessee.
LSU returns one of the more dynamic players in college football, sophomore running back Leonard Fournette. The Tigers have a strong offensive line coming back with three starters returning, along with an extremely talented receiving corps.
The defense returns six starters but will be without potential All-American safety Jalen Mills for an extended period due to injury. LSU’s depth on defense is a concern for head coach Les Miles, along with the ability to get a consistent pass rush.
The Tigers’ season could easily swing on the play of quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Jennings is the returning starter but Harris is considered to have greater upside, although he is still raw in the pocket.
LSU's 2015 season begins on Sept. 5 when McNeese State comes to Death Valley. LSU quickly begins SEC play the following week by traveling to Starkville to play Mississippi State.
Related: Ranking the Toughest Games on LSU’s College Football Schedule in 2015
2015 Associated Press Preseason Poll
1. Ohio State
2. TCU
3. Alabama
4. Baylor
5. Michigan State
6. Auburn
7. Oregon
8. USC
9. Georgia
10. Florida State
11. Notre Dame
12. Clemson
13. UCLA
14. LSU
15. Arizona State
16. Georgia Tech
17. Ole Miss
18. Arkansas
19. Oklahoma
20. Wisconsin
21. Stanford
22. Arizona
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
— Written by Ryan Wright, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and an established media professional with more than two decades' worth of experience. Over the years, Wright has written for numerous sites and publications and he recently started his own recruiting site, www.recruitingnewsguru.com. Follow him on Twitter @HogManinLA.
