Predictions vary wildly for LSU Tigers in preseason college football annuals – NOLA.com

July heralds the dog days of summer. It also signals the arrival of preseason football annuals.

Each summer I venture to Lakeside News, as far as I know the lone remaining news stand in the city, to purchase my parcel of pro and college football preview magazines. When you see them, you know another football season is not far off.

Preseason annuals are as much a part of college football as the game itself. They’re packed with information and projections for the upcoming season.

The previews tend to play the chalk. Last year Florida State was a unanimous preseason pick for No. 1. This year it’s defending national champion Ohio State.

LSU is viewed as one of college football’s real wild card teams. No one knows quite what to make of the Tigers. They are predicted as high as No. 4 nationally  (ESPN) and as low as 4^th in the SEC West (Athlon’s).  Running back Leonard Fournette is mentioned prominently as a Heisman Trophy candidate in most of the annuals.

Opinions aren’t as varied — or as positive — on Tulane. The Green Wave is a unanimous pick to finish near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference. On the positive side, several Green Wave defenders are projected as All-AAC picks, including defensive linemen Royce LaFrance and Tanziel Smart, linebacker Nico Marley, cornerback Parry Nickerson and safety Darion Monroe.

A look at each of the five major preseason annuals:

ATHLON’S

Preseason No. 1: Ohio State.

CFP playoff: (1) Ohio State vs. (4) Auburn; (2) Alabama vs. (3) Baylor.

LSU

National rank: No. 15. SEC finish: 4th in West. Bowl projection: N/A.

All-American: RB Leonard Fournette, 2nd. All-SEC: Fournette, S Jamal Adams, 1^st; S Jalen Mills, CB Tre’Davious White, 2^nd; OL Vadal Alexander, LB Kendell Beckwith, P Jamie Keehn, DL Davon Godchaux, 3^rd; OT Jerald Hawkins, WR Travin Dural, 4^th.

What they like: Fournette. He’s the second-ranked running back in the SEC, trailing only Georgia’s Nick Chubb.

What they don’t like: The quarterbacks. Brandon Harris is projected as the starter but is ranked no better than 12^th in the SEC.

Outlook: “It’s pretty simple: LSU needs much better play from the quarterback position in 2015. Whoever gets the starting nod must improve on an anemic passing attack that failed to throw for more than 150 yards in seven of eight SEC games. Fournette is a star, but he can’t carry an entire offense on those broad shoulders. The defense, led by a top-flight secondary, will be strong — if not elite like LSU defenses of the recent past. The Tigers are talented enough to be a factor in the rugged SEC West — only if the passing offense improves.”

TULANE

National rank: No. 104. AAC finish: 5^th in West. Bowl projection: None.

All-American: None. All-AAC: DL Royce LaFrance, LB Nico Marley, CB Parry Nickerson, S Darion Monroe, 2^nd; RB Sherman Badie, TE Charles Jones, OT Arturo Uzdavinis, DL Tanziel Smart, 4^th.

What they like: The running game. It will “be a strength if it receives better blocking from a line that returns four starters. The three-headed backfield of speedy Sherman Badie, power runner Lazedrick Thompson and well-rounded Dontrell Hilliard is one of the best in the American Athletic Conference.”

What they don’t like: The pass rush. “The defense needs to apply more pressure after having just 22 sacks last year.”

Outlook: “The pieces are in place for an uptick in coach Curtis Johnson’s fourth season, but everything needs to go right after Tulane struggled with the move from Conference USA to the stronger AAC. Tanner Lee needs to mature quickly and get a better rapport with his young receivers. The running backs, whom Johnson considers NFL-caliber, need better blocking. And, maybe most significantly, the Wave have to shore up their kicking game. The struggles there sapped confidence from the entire team.”

Other state rankings: FBS: No. 86 Louisiana Tech, 1^st Conference USA West; No. 87 Louisiana-Lafayette, 3^rd in Sun Belt; No. 115 Louisiana-Monroe, 7^th in Sun Belt. FCS: No. 17 McNeese State.

ESPN

Preseason No. 1: Ohio State.

CFP playoff: (1) Ohio State vs. (4) USC; (2) Auburn vs. (3) Oklahoma State.

LSU

National rank: No. 4. SEC finish: 1st in West. Bowl projection: N/A.

All-Americans: None. All-SEC: Fournette, 1^st; Adams, 1^st; Mills, 1^st.

What they like: Fournette is one of five Heisman hopefuls.

What they don’t like: Surprise… the quarterbacks.

Outlook: “The Tigers are usually the hunted, not the hunters, but the perennial front-runners dipped in the win column last year, falling short of the 10-win mark for the first time since 2009. If Les Miles can solve his QB riddle, LSU will be a contender for the West – and the College Football Playoff.”

TULANE

National rank: No.  97. AAC finish: 5^th, West. Bowl projection: N/A.

All-Americans: None. All-AAC: Marley, 1^st.

What they like: All-ACC CB Parry Nickerson returns to a secondary that created 16 turnovers on a D that proved opportunistic with four forced red-zone turnovers.

What they don’t like: Sophomore QB Tanner Lee did not thrive in third-down pressure sports (4 INTs, 49.5 completion rate, No. 94 in the nation).

Outlook:  “After a seven-win 2013, Tulane fell back to earth last year. Another tough one’s in store with Duke and Georgia Tech on the slate.”

Other state rankings: FBS: No. 80 Louisiana Tech, 1^st Sun Belt West; No. 95 Louisiana-Lafayette, 5^th Sun Belt; No. 106 Louisiana-Monroe, 6^th Sun Belt.

LINDY’S

Preseason No. 1: Ohio State. CFP playoff: (1) Ohio State vs. (4) USC; (2) Auburn vs. (3) Oklahoma State.

LSU

National rank: No. 13. SEC finish: 3rd in West. Bowl projection: N/A.

All-American: None. All-SEC: Adams, 1^st; Fournette, Hawkins, 2^nd; Alexander, Beckwith, White, Mills, Keehn, 3^rd.

What they like: The power rushing attack. “LSU can still line up and knock the slobber out of a defense with a devastating downhill running game (and) brutish running back Leonard Fournette.”

What they don’t like: The departure of defensive coordinator John Chavis. “Chavis must be looking forward to facing Tigers’ quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris, who don’t scare anybody.”

Outlook: “Why does it seem, year after year, that LSU is particularly up against it in the schedule department? Alas, the Tigers can’t worry about that. If they want stay in the West hunt, they’ll just have to out-tough everybody.”

TULANE

National rank: No. 102. AAC finish: 4^th, West. Bowl projection: None.

All-American: None. All-AAC: Marley, Nickerson, 1^st; LaFrance, 2^nd.

What they like: The offensive backfield. “Sherman Badie has breakaway speed and scored on several long runs last season. He combines with power runner Lazedrick Thompson for a one-two punch behind an experienced line.”

What they don’t like: The kicking game, with inconsistent incumbent Anthony DiRocco and a host of unproven newcomers.

Outlook: “The Green Wave lost some momentum with fans after a losing season in its first year in the $73 million Yulman Stadium in 2014. Tulane will have to see vast improvement on offense to have hopes of returning to a bowl.”

Other state rankings: FBS: No. 83 Louisiana Tech, 3^rd Conference USA; No. 95 Louisiana-Lafayette, 4^th Sun Belt; No. 117 Louisiana-Monroe, 7^th Sun Belt. FCS: Southland: McNeese State, 3^rd; Northwestern State, 4^th; Southeastern Louisiana, 6^th; SWAC: Southern, 1^st West; Grambling, 2^nd West.

PHIL STEELE

Preseason No. 1: Ohio State.

CFP playoff: (1) Ohio State vs. (4) USC; (2) Texas Christian vs. (3) Alabama.

LSU

National rank: No. 10. SEC finish: 2nd in West. Bowl projection: Peach Bowl, vs. Florida State.

All-Americans: Alexander, LS Reid Ferguson, 1^st; Mills, 2^nd; Fournette, 3^rd; Beckwith, 4th. All-SEC: Alexander, Mills, 1^st; Fournette, Dural, Beckwith, Keehn, 2^nd; CB-PR Tre’Davious White, 3^rd; Hawkins, WR Malachi Dupre, OL Ethan Pocic, DT Christian LaCouture, 4th.

What they like: The Tigers’ corps of offensive skill players is ranked as the best in the SEC.

What they don’t like: The quarterbacks are not ranked among the Top 45 among FBS schools.

Outlook: “LSU did not suffer the underclassmen losses (last year) and their 15 returning starters are the most since 2005. They avoid the top 3 teams out of the SEC East and have a great shot at being 8-0 when they travel to Alabama. LSU is a legitimate national title contender.”

TULANE

National rank: No. 101. AAC finish: 4^th West. Bowl projection: None.

All-Americans: None. All-AAC: LaFrance, OL Chris Taylor, 1^st; Uzdavinis, Mickerson, Marley, Monroe, 2^nd; Badie, Smart, C Nathan Shienle, 3^rd.

What they like: The defense, which has the third-ranked secondary and fifth-ranked line in the conference.

What they don’t like: The October schedule, with road trips to Temple, Navy and Memphis and home games against Central Florida and Houston.

Outlook: “This is Curtis Johnson’s fourth year and the only other time he had 16 returning starters was 2013, when the Green Wave hosted the New Orleans Bowl. They could be an underdog in all five October games but the 2013 squad was a ‘dog in nine games so Johnson has proven he can get it done. If Tulane steals a few early, they could flirt with getting back to a bowl as a reward for their 2015 campaign.”

Other state rankings: No. 53 Louisiana Tech, 1^st C-USA West, Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Texas Tech; No. 90 Louisiana-Lafayette, 4^th Sun Belt, New Orleans Bowl vs. Rice No. 110 Louisiana-Monroe, 6^th Sun Belt.

SPORTING NEWS

Preseason No. 1: Ohio State.

CFP playoff: (1) Ohio State vs. (4) Oregon; (2) Texas Christian vs. (3) Auburn.

LSU

National rank: No. 14. SEC finish: 3rd in West. Bowl projection: Outback Bowl vs. Michigan.

All-American: Alexander, Fournette, 2nd. All-SEC: Alexander, Fournette, 1^st; Mills, 2nd.

What they like: The LSU tailgating scene, which ranked best in the nation.

What they don’t like: The SEC. Only two programs (No. 3 Auburn, No. 5 Alabama) are ranked in the top 13 team in the country.

Outlook: “LSU has Top 10 talent at every position except the most important one: quarterback. Neither Jennings nor Harris need to be great to lead LSU to a CFP bowl or the SEC Championship Game, but at least one of them must improve. If they can, the rest of the Tigers are plenty good enough to follow them to a desirable postseason address.”

TULANE

National rank: N/A. AAC finish: 5^th West. Bowl projection: None.

All-Americans: None. All-AAC: Marley, 1^st.

What they like: Nico Marley, who they rank as the best player under pressure in the AAC. “At 5-9, he is one of the smallest linebackers in the FBS, but his ability to take on leadership and make plays can be impressive.”

What they don’t like: The early schedule, with seven consecutive games against bowl-eligible opponents.

Outlook: “The offensive didn’t score 10 points in the final three games of 2014. That’s worrisome, especially with a young quarterback and no established talent at wide receiver. Tulane needs to catch lightning in a bottle to improve on last year’s 3-9 season.”

Other state rankings: FBS: Louisiana-Lafayette, 2^nd Sun Belt, GoDaddy Bowl vs. Western Michigan. Louisiana-Monroe, 8^th Sun Belt; Louisiana Tech, 1^st Conference USA, Hawaii Bowl vs.  California. FCS: Southland: No. 21 Southeastern Louisiana, 3^rd; McNeese State, 7^th; Northwestern State, 8^th; Nicholls State, 9^th. SWAC: Southern, 1^st West; Grambling, 2^nd West.

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