by Pete Fiutak

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Oh sure, in hindsight it appears obvious. After all, LSU had the best team in America. Everyone knew that going in, and while all turned out to be right with the world, at least as far as who the national champion should've been, LSU also turned out to be one of the luckiest teams ever, and one of the toughest, gutsiest and most resilient.

What had to happen? What did the Tigers have to go through to win the big prize and not just be a 50-point Sugar Bowl winner over Hawaii? Consider ...

LSU had to win the SEC title game without its starting quarterback.

West Virginia had to lose at home to a lousy Pitt team.

Missouri had to lose the Big 12 Championship to Oklahoma.

LSU was the first two-loss team in the BCS era to get a shot at the national championship.

Not only did LSU lose twice, but it lost in triple overtime to two mediocre teams: Kentucky and Arkansas.

The star defensive tackle, and the heart and soul of the team, Glenn Dorsey, was playing on one leg after being on the wrong end of a cheap shot block against Auburn; fellow starting tackle Charles Alexander was lost for the year early on with a knee injury; and rising star tackle Ricky Jean-Francois missed almost the whole season because of academic issues.

Les Miles was almost certain to take the Michigan job; couldn't pursue it because his team was playing for a conference title; and then really couldn't pursue it (even after his now-classic "damn strong football team ... have a great day" speech) because his team was playing for a national title.

Miles hit the equivalent of an unnecessary 54-foot jump shot that went in with his controversial call for a 22-yard throw for a touchdown with one second to play to beat Auburn when a 40-yard field goal would've won the game.

Going for it, and making it, on fourth down instead of hitting a field goal that would've forced overtime against Florida on the way to the game-winning touchdown.

(Exhale)

So, basically, LSU had the best team in America and needed every gamble to go right, every break from the college football gods, and the ability to overcome a variety of bizarre and tough obstacles to earn the right to hold up the big crystal ball at the end of the year.

This year's Tigers aren't as good and they're not going to get the same breaks twice, but they should still have one of the five best teams in America once the quarterback situation is settled. The precedent has been set over the last two seasons — win the SEC title and you get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to playing for the national championship.

While nothing's set in stone considering the teams LSU lost to last season, if it can split road games at Auburn and Florida and hold serve at home, and that includes beating Georgia and Alabama, Miles will likely be playing for another SEC championship with a shot to play for the national title. This is yet another damn strong football team, even if it's rebuilding a bit.

What to watch for on offense: The quarterbacks. Everything else is in place from the veteran offensive line to the NFL talents at receiver to the four-headed monster in the backfield. The quarterbacks don't have to play like JaMarcus Russell or even Matt Flynn; they just have to keep things moving, make a big third down throw here and there, and get out of the way. Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch will keep the battle going throughout the summer.

Les Miles may have the horses for another BCS title. (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)

What to watch for on defense: The line to be every bit the killer it was last year, if not more so. Losing Glenn Dorsey hurts no matter what, but Charles Alexander, Ricky Jean-Francois, Marlon Favorite and Al Woods will keep the production going. If Tyson Jackson plays like the top-10 pick he's supposed to be, no one's doing anything against this front four.

The team will be far better if ... the penalties slow down. For the second year in a row, LSU struggled mightily when it came to the sins. After committing 83 in 2006, the Tigers were 117th in the nation (only South Florida and Cincinnati committed more) averaging 8.36 per game (117 total) last season.

The Schedule: Opening up with lamb-for-the-slaughter games against Appalachian State (stop it ... this won't be Michigan Part 2), Troy and North Texas will give the team time to jell before going to Auburn for what could be the battle for the SEC West. The defending national champions don't get much of a break from the SEC scheduling gods facing road games at Florida and South Carolina before hosting Georgia in Death Valley. Get through those three, and the end of October, with just one loss, and the national title could be there for the taking with a manageable November facing Tulane, Alabama, Ole Miss and a road trip to Arkansas.

Best Offensive Player: Junior OT Ciron Black. Black is big, quick and athletic enough to become a 10-year NFL starter. He can maul the speed rushers and push around the bigger run defenders. In his third year as the main man on the left side of the line, the spotlight will be shining as he could become the top tackle for the 2009 NFL draft if he keeps improving.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Tyson Jackson. The 6-5, 291-pound senior has NFL scouts drooling — players his size aren't supposed to play on the end. The ideal 3-4 end at the next level, he needs to flourish in his final year and has to become a better finisher as a pass rusher. He's great against the run and good at getting into the backfield, but a player of his size and talent needs to come up with more than 4.5 tackles for loss.

Key player to a successful season: Redshirt freshman QB Jarrett Lee and/or sophomore QB Andrew Hatch. It's not like LSU put an ad in the student paper looking for someone to quarterback the team. Lee and Hatch are at LSU because they can play. No one's expecting either one of them to be special, at least this year, but if one of them turns out to be more than just solid, LSU might go from being a national title contender to a national title favorite.

The season will be a success if ... LSU wins the SEC title. There's no real reason to shoot any lower after the level the program has ascended to. There are too many new starters and the SEC is too good to get through the year unscathed, but there's no reason the Tigers can't win the West and have a shot against Florida, Tennessee or Georgia. Win the SEC championship and everything else could fall into place.

Key game: Sept. 20 at Auburn. It's the SEC opener and it could decide the West. Auburn will be rocking with its big shot to beat the defending national champions, while LSU knows that if it comes out of Jordan-Hare alive, the SEC will be there for the taking. If this is half as good as last year's classic, it'll be one of the must-see games of the season.

OFFENSE

And the quarterback will be ... ? He might be a knucklehead, but Ryan Perrilloux is a talented knucklehead and would've made the LSU offense spectacular when he was on the field. But now he's out of the program after getting the boot, and it'll be a fight between Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch for the keys to the high-octane car. The offensive line will be among the best in America with four returning starters led by the left side combination of OT Ciron Black and OG Herman Johnson, while the 1-2 receiving duo of Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd have NFL written all over them. The running game loses blasting fullback Jacob Hester, but there are four tremendous options to make running back by committee a good thing.

Tyson Jackson is likely headed toward a future playing on Sundays. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)

Quarterbacks: There was a time when LSU had a future No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, a future national title winner, and Ryan Perrilloux in a quarterback derby. Now Perrilloux is booted off the team but the Tiger offense will keep moving with either Hatch or Lee under center, with Jordan Jefferson available too. Basically, Hatch is the win now option, Lee is the riskier choice with more upside, and Jefferson will be in case of an emergency. Expect Hatch to get the nod for the opener, but Lee will see time early on. Can Lee and/or Hatch come through big in the huge SEC nail-biters? Flynn might not have been pretty, but the guy was the ultimate gamer.

Running Backs: There are four very good backs who would start and be a featured runner at about 75 other places. The problem is that there's no sure-thing No. 1 to go to like Jacob Hester was last year, even though there are so many excellent options to play around with. This might not be the nation's 11th best rushing offense again, but it won't be far off. LSU will rotate the power of Charles Scott, the speed of Keiland Williams, the warp-wheels of Trindon Holliday and the all-around skills of Richard Murphy. How does a defensive coordinator prepare for all four options? However, not only was Hester the team's leading rusher, he was Mariano Rivera: the closer. He was the one who ended games on bone-crushing drives and turned into the identity of the team. LSU doesn't have that in its backfield.

Receivers: If the quarterback play is steady, this should be the SEC's best receiving corps. Brandon LaFell is a big, fast NFL receiver playing another year of college ball, and Demetrius Byrd is a big, faster NFL receiver playing another year of college ball. Tight end Richard Dickson is an average blocker, but he'll be the new starting QB's best friend in a big hurry. If it's possible, the receiving corps will be even better after losing Early Doucet. On the way is more NFL talent in recruits DeAngelo Benton and Deangelo Peterson, and while they might not see time right away, they'll be stars over the next few years.

Offensive Line: Another year, another great LSU line. With four returning starters and the fifth player, Joseph Barksdale, a good one, the line that allowed a mere 37 sacks in 14 games and was fantastic for the ground game should once again be dominant. The only concern is in the veteran depth, there isn't much, but that's nitpicking. There are more all-stars waiting for their chance to shine. Ciron Black and Herman Johnson are special talents, even for LSU. These two could be first-round selections next year and will erase everyone on running plays their way. Proven depth was supposed to be a problem last year too, and it wasn't. There's talent waiting in the wings, but the Tigers are going to rely on a ton of redshirt freshmen in key spots.

DEFENSE

The nation's No. 3 defense in each of the last three years might fall off a little bit with the loss of defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, DT Glenn Dorsey, LB Ali Highsmith, SS Craig Steltz and both starting corners, but it's not like things are going to fall off the map. The defensive line might even be better, even without Dorsey, with tackles Ricky Jean-Francois (academics) and Charles Alexander (knee) joining Al Woods and Marlon Favorite on the inside to form a brick wall, and tackle-sized Tyson Jackson on the end looking for a big season to cash in on for next year's NFL draft. Speed and athleticism should make up for concerns at outside linebacker and cornerback, while MLB Darry Beckwith and the safeties should be tremendous.

Defensive Line: What's the difference between the SEC and the rest of the world? Defensive linemen like LSU's. The Tiger projected starting front four checks in at 291, 293, 281 and 252 pounds and all can move like linebackers. The projected second teamers go 282, 316, 302 and 254 pounds. The two-deep averages 284 pounds per man. Glenn Dorsey might be gone, but if Ricky Jean-Francois is half as good as expected, and if Charles Alexander's knee is healthy, the tackles will form a brick wall. Tyson Jackson is in a salary drive at one end, and could make himself into a top-10 pick with a double-digit sack season, while Kirston Pittman is a terror on the right side. The second teamers would start at about 100 other places. Nitpicking time for a group that should hold everyone to around 100 yards rushing, but for all the talent and all the NFL skills, the line didn't make nearly enough tackles for loss last year. This has been an issue for the last few seasons, and while the line was better at getting into the backfield, 84 stops for loss from a defense with a line like this is a little low.

Linebackers: This might not be the sexiest LSU linebacking corps, but there are excellent defenders at all three spots with promising reserves to push the starters. Darry Beckwith is the star in the middle, and he'll make up for several mistakes, but Perry Riley, Kelvin Sheppard and Shomari Clemons will be excellent with a bit more playing time. Jacob Cutera is a great backup for the middle. It's LSU. The linebackers are going to run like safeties and be all over the field. Beckwith is a good one to work around, and Riley and Sheppard will grow into major producers.

Secondary: It's a major stretch to call this the team's weakness, but there are more question marks here than anywhere but quarterback. The safeties, even without Craig Steltz, will be among the best in the SEC. Backups Danny McCray and Chad Jones can play, and starters Harry Coleman and Curtis Taylor will be strong. The corners will be good in time, but they'll have to take their lumps first. There will be plenty of big plays made, but plenty will be given up, too. Chris Hawkins and Jai Eugene should be good when they get more playing time and are forced to shine in the spotlight, but they're hardly sure things compared to Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon. Jones and Ron Brooks could potentially be special, but they haven't done anything yet.

Special Teams: While Colt David and Trindon Holliday will earn All-SEC honors, everything else needs work. There are too many elite athletes and too much all-around talent to not have better coverage teams. The punting will be the biggest issue early on with Brady Dalfrey needing to be stronger than he was this offseason. It's possible for LSU to have the SEC's best kicker and kick return game and the league's worst punter and punt returner. Kickoffs haven't been a prize, either, and that's where Josh Jasper has to start blasting it. The punting game could go from fine to trouble, while Chad Jones simple has to be better and more explosive returning punts.