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LSU RANKED NO. 1 IN USA TODAY COACHES POLL
BATON ROUGE – For the
first time since 1959, LSU will open a football season ranked No. 1 in
the nation as the Tigers have been placed atop the USA Today Coaches’
Poll, the organization announced on Thursday.
LSU returns
15 starters from last year’s team that captured the Southeastern
Conference title and went 13-0 during the regular season before falling
in the BCS National Championship Game. LSU spent 11 straight weeks
ranked No. 1 in the nation a year ago.
“It’s a complement
to our program and the body of work that has been accomplished here,”
head coach Les Miles said. “We understand that it’s a spot that we hold
right now and nothing more. We recognize that we have to earn our spot
and there are a lot of games to be played before anything is
determined.”
The last time LSU opened a season ranked No.
1 came in 1959 when the Associated Press tagged the Tigers as the
top-ranked squad. LSU responded by beating Rice, 26-3, to open the
year. LSU remained No. 1 for eight straight games before falling to
Tennessee, 14-13, in week eight. LSU went to the Sugar Bowl that year
in what was Billy Cannon’s Heisman Trophy winning season.
With
the No. 1 preseason ranking, the Tigers will run their streak of
consecutive games played as the nation’s top-ranked team to 11 straight
when LSU opens the 2012 season against North Texas in Tiger Stadium.
The 11 consecutive games as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team is just two
shy of tying the LSU mark of 13 set in 1958-59
LSU’s
schedule features a total of five Top 25 teams, including three in the
Top 10. Alabama is No. 2 in the poll with South Carolina at No. 9 and
Arkansas at No. 10. Florida at No. 23 and Auburn at No. 25 round out
the remainder of LSU opponents in the preseason poll. Georgia is the
only other SEC team in the poll as the Bulldogs are ranked No. 6.
2012 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll – Preseason
Rank
Team
Points
Previous
First Place Votes
1.
LSU
(13-1)
1403
2
18
2.
Alabama
(12-1)
1399
1
20
3.
Southern California
(10-2)
1388
not
ranked
19
4.
Oklahoma
(10-3)
1276
15
1
5.
Oregon
(12-2)
1258
4
0
6.
Georgia
(10-4)
1061
20
0
7.
Florida State
(9-4)
1055
23
1
8.
Michigan
(11-2)
1023
9
0
9.
South Carolina
(11-2)
981
8
0
10.
Arkansas
(11-2)
948
5
0
11.
West Virginia
(10-3)
833
18
0
12.
Wisconsin
(11-3)
743
11
0
13.
Michigan State
(11-3)
717
10
0
14.
Clemson
(10-4)
598
22
0
15.
Texas
(8-5)
549
not
ranked
0
16.
Nebraska
(9-4)
501
24
0
17.
TCU
(11-2)
499
13
0
18.
Stanford
(11-2)
497
7
0
19.
Oklahoma State
(12-1)
476
3
0
20.
Virginia Tech
(11-3)
461
17
0
21.
Kansas State
(10-3)
398
16
0
22.
Boise State
(12-1)
271
6
0
23.
Florida
(7-6)
250
not
ranked
0
24.
Notre Dame
(8-5)
166
not
ranked
0
25.
Auburn
(8-5)
66
not
ranked
0
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