Station Survey: What will LSU’s record be?

By Hunt Palmer

LSU will sit at home and watch this weekend as another college football Saturday unfolds.

The Tigers reached the open date 4-1 which was in line with a lot of preseason predictions. How they got there may not have been as easy to forecast. LSU’s offense has really struggled to get moving while the defense has really played well.

A daunting schedule including No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 10 Alabama and No. 18 Vanderbilt remains. So, does that change the way the folks at 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge think this season shapes up?

We asked them.

Jacob Hester, Co-host, Off the Bench: I had them going 10–2 before the season, and Ole Miss was one of the toss-up games. I’ll stick with my preseason prediction and hope the bye week brought some key adjustments.

Charles Hanagriff, Co-host, Live at Lunch: Let me tell you why I hate making these predictions. Things change in a college football season.  One month ago, LSU ran for 108 yards against a defense that was considered elite. Last Saturday, against a statistically inferior defense, they couldn’t muster half that many.  One month ago Garrett Nussmeier hit Barion Brown on a deep throw for what should have been a touchdown. Last Saturday he couldn’t make that throw. How do these things look a month, or even a week from now? Right this minute, that’s a straight guess. 9-3…since I was asked.

Hunt Palmer, Host, The Hunt Palmer Show: The running game is a mess, and it’s impossible to know how much better the passing game can get. I trust the defense, and I trust Tiger Stadium. Wins at Oklahoma and Alabama feel tough to forecast. Does LSU sweep the rest of the games? Feels unlikely scoring around 20 points. You’ve already played the worst offenses on your schedule. I’ll say 8-4.

Jacob Beck, Audio Producer, The Hunt Palmer Show: 8-4. My bold prediction before the season started was that LSU would lose four games. I expected one of those to be at Clemson, but I don’t think I could’ve foreseen just how bad LSU’s offense would be through five games. The Tigers will travel to Nashville, Tuscaloosa and Norman, all very losable games. Make fun of Vandy at your own peril. I know a lot of people in Tuscaloosa did last year. Texas A&M comes to Baton Rouge on Oct. 25, and while I lean towards LSU winning that game, nothing I’ve seen so far from the Tigers gives me confidence the offense can keep up with an upstart Aggies offense led by a now seasoned Marcel Reed. How likely is it that LSU will go 1-3 in those games? Right now, I’d say very.

Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: I picked 10-2 to start the season, with one of the losses being Clemson. The defense is as advertised and will give them a chance to win every game they play. Even with their offensive struggles, the Tigers were a play away from beating Ole Miss. Because they have so much proven offensive talent, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they get healthy and figure out how to be more productive. I’ll stick with my initial prediction with the likelihood of splitting November road games against Alabama and Oklahoma.

Matthew Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: 9-3. I don’t think a balanced and dynamic offense is all of a sudden walking through that door. Can they get better? Sure. Can Garrett Nussmeier get healthy? Sure. He was healthy last season and threw for 4,000 yards with no running game. You went 8-4 in the regular season. Your defense is much improved from a year ago, and I think that will help you steal a game somewhere. However, until they give me a reason to believe on offense, I’m in total prove it mode.

Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: 9-3. LSU has one of the best defenses in the country but major problems on offense. If Garrett Nussmeier gets the rest and recovery he needs in the bye week, my concerns won’t be with the quarterback. The biggest question remaining will be establishing the run and getting solid blocking from the offensive line. LSU still has a tough road schedule remaining, and those issues will cost the Tigers in one of those games. The defense will help steal a close game, but the offensive struggles might be too much to overcome this season.