LSU Tigers 2008 College Football Team Preview

The LSU offense is stacked. There is an abundance of talent at the running back and receiver positions. The Tigers also have an experienced and talented offensive line. But who will be under center? Ryan Perrilloux, MVP of the SEC title game, was dismissed from the team for repeated team rules violations. The guys behind Perrilloux on the depth chart, Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch, have basically no experience at this level.

The LSU running game looks to be a three-headed monster. Keiland Williams (478 yards, 6 touchdowns), Charles Scott (439 total yards, 7 touchdowns) and Richard Murphy (304 total yards, 2 touchdowns) all figure to play a significant role in the LSU rushing attack.

The Tigers also have one of the best receiver tandems in the nation. Brandon LaFell and speedy Demetrius Byrd combined for 85 receptions, 1,277 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Tight end Richard Dickson is another great receiving threat.

With four starters back this season, LSU boasts one of the most experienced offensive lines in the SEC. Left tackle Ciron Black, left guard Herman Johnson and center Brett Helms have All-SEC talent.

There is plenty of depth along the defensive line. Tyson Jackson and Kirston Pittman are the returning starters at the ends. They'll get help from Rahim Alem and Ricky Jean-Francois, the defensive MVP of the BCS Championship Game. Jean-Francois, Marlon Favorite and Charles Alexander lead the rotation inside. Al Woods and Drake Nevis could also see significant action.

Middle linebacker Darry Beckwith played the last few games of 2007 with an injured shoulder, but still recorded 65 tackles in 12 games. Beckwith will have a new starter on each side. Perry Riley, Kelvin Sheppard and Jacob Cuttera will be competing for the two starting outside linebacker jobs.

In the secondary, free safety Curtis Taylor is the lone returning starter. Nickel back Danny McCray is also back for 2008. Chad Jones and Harry Coleman will compete for time at strong safety. There will also be a lot of competition for the two starting cornerback spots. Chris Hawkins, Jai Eugene, Patrick Johnson and Brandon Taylor are all in the mix.

Senior kicker Colt David is back. David converted all 63 extra-point tries last season and also connected on 26-of-33 field goal attempts. All-SEC punter Patrick Fisher is gone. Senior Brady Dalfrey is Fisher's likely replacement.

The defending national champs will have a tough row to hoe this year. With a question mark at quarterback and a schedule that will have them playing at Auburn and Florida, as well as a home game against Georgia, this could be a two- or three-loss season for the Tigers. Another national title run doesn't appear likely. A BCS bowl game for LSU should be viewed as a successful season.

Dwayne Bryant is the owner of Bullseye Sports Handicapping Service. Dwayne, among the best free sports handicappers, has been handicapping successfully for over 20 years. Dwayne gives a daily free sport pick, including a free college football pick every Saturday during the season.

LSU Tigers - Coaches Leading LSU to the National Championships

Life is about competition. We work our way to meet our goals. It is not an easy ride but it is something that we must do in order to progress. Everyday we go to school to be competitive in our future jobs. In our everyday jobs, we work our way to get a promotion and a salary raise. However, we do not do it alone. There will always be people who will take part in keeping us on track with our everyday challenges just to reach the end goal. Sometimes, those people are whom we call our guardians, our parents, our counselors or even our life coach.

In sports, whether team or individual, there will always be one person or more to watch out for the team. Of course, they do not act as a police patrol to keep reprimanding the team what not to do. However, they are there to discipline, train and keep the team on track with their goal to win the championship match in every league they join. One of the sports that have many coaches is football. A team full of big and tough men needs more than one person to handle them. However, there will be only one coach that manages the team overall and they are the head coaches.

Let us now look at the coaches of the LSU Tigers football team, who helped them win national championships.

1. Paul Dietzel- He led the team to win National Championships way back 1958. Coaching for this time was one of the best years he had. American Football Coaches Association and Football Writers Association of America named him National Coach of the Year at the time they won the National Championships. He loved the team so much and led them to become the number one in the country. He quoted, "I never considered going anywhere else because I thought LSU was the best coaching job in America"

2. Nick Saban- He was the head coach of the team from 2000-2004. He made history when he led the team to win their second National Championships in 2003.

3. Les Miles- He is the current head coach of the team. He has been helping the team to perform at their best whether it is nationals or just SEC championships. One of his greatest achievements was to lead the team to win the BCS National Title Game last year. It is one of the most important events in the history of LSU Tigers as he made this team the only team to win two BCS national championship titles.

In the field of sports, coaches play a vital role in winning. They can see through the strengths and weaknesses of every player and use that to create a successful play. You can love the most valuable player in the team but in the hearts of the players, they know they were not alone in winning. Great football coaches serve different teams across America and it happened that LSU was blessed enough to make great college football history with their coaches.

Freddie Brister is a huge fan of the SEC and the LSU Tigers. His love for the game of football started with an older brother passing the pigskin around in the backyard with cousins and neighborhood friends. He later played in high school, college and coached high school football for 25 years, before retiring to write for Sports Fan Treasures. Check out his LSU Belt or his BYU Blanket.