LSU football’s success in 2017 will depend on all positions

LSU concluded the fall football camp with the scrimmage this past Saturday. The Tigers will now begin full preparations for BYU and the season opener on September 2 over in Houston.

As I expected, Tigers head coach Orgeron has put a positive spin in his comments regarding his team.  If there are areas that concern him – and I am sure there are-  he will not discuss them when meeting with the media or when doing his first radio show this week.

Orgeron is like most coaches who will always try to create a positive mindset about his team through the media and the fans.

For the last three-plus weeks, certainly the most chatter has centered around the quarterback position. Who will start? Who will be the backup?

We have also heard a lot about the offensive line. Who is healthy? Who is left to compete at the SEC level? Who are the first five?

Other questions lurk. Which wide receiver(s) will emerge to catch passes and be productive? How many freshmen will play?  These queries have been bandied about on a daily basis.  All good questions and there are many more.

The bottom line is that ALL positions on the squad are very important. Offense, defense and special teams matter all together to form a winning product.  If LSU is going to compete in and win the SEC West, they will need all aspects of the game to be outstanding.

The recipe for LSU is simple, if daunting.  Win the SEC West, go to Atlanta and win the SEC championship, proceed to the college football playoff.

One of the national semi-final games is in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this year.  LSU won its national championships in 2003 and 2007 in games played in the Crescent City. It’s a nice path to take for the team in Purple and Gold.

The players in all positions are important ingredients in the recipe that mixes together to make a CFP team.  Certainly, with the previous mentioned position questions and other questions whose answers will be provided beginning against BYU, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Oregeron’s first full-season running the show.

I feel that LSU has a lot of talent. If the talent level is as good as advertised and as good as we have seen for most of the last 15-plus years, it will mean good things for this year’s team.

My early call is that this LSU season could be all or nothing.  Depending on the answers to all the questions, this team may win a lot of games or it may not come close to competing for titles.

Next week I will get specific with predictions about what I think the record for the Tigers will be in 2017. It will take perhaps my best crystal ball work yet.