CFB Most Influential Programs
#20 LSU Tigers
School: LSU Tigers
First Game: 1893
Winning Percentage: .654 (14th)
Appearances in AP/Rank: 665 (10th)
Average AP Ranking: 10.8
National Titles: 4
Claim to Fame: Along with many famous alumni, LSU’s Death Valley is widely known as one of, if not the most hostile venues to play a football game, especially at night.
Why I have them in my Collection: Since hiring Nick Saban at the turn of the century LSU has only had 1 losing season, and won 3 national championships with 3 different coaches. That is an incredibly impressive feat. They have also been doing so in what has objectively been the most competitive football conference, the SEC.
Like many SEC schools, LSU’s dominance only really took shape once they fully embraced the talent in their own state. With Southern being an HBCU in the same town, for good reason many black players from Louisiana didn’t feel comfortable, let alone welcome at LSU, even post integration. As a result, one could say the program has underachieved given how much talent is in the state.
When Nick Saban signed on that all changed. LSU tapped into the resources other schools around them were using, and kept that talent in state. Since then, as I mentioned, they have won 3 national championships with 3 different coaches in 16 years. They have become a program and fan base that expects this and anything short of it is unacceptable.
Like many SEC schools you really can’t tell the history of college football without LSU, especially as of late. They’re not quite as chaotic as Auburn, perhaps maybe because of their ability to absorb chaos through sheer talent, but LSU has some weird stuff about them as well, even weird by college football standards. From alumni with vibrant personalities to coaches that eat grass, LSU is a program that will make you smile if you don’t hate them.
Oh, and I guess their band is pretty good too, even if it’s the second best in their own city.
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