LSU: Schedule Breakdown

LSU played "everybody but the Green Bay Packers" last season, coach Les Miles cracked at SEC media days. This year's schedule is more manageable but still laced with obstacles.

By Larry Hartstein

Jul 23, 2012 at 2:41 pm ET • 2 min read

LSU played “everybody but the Green Bay Packers” last season, coach Les Miles cracked at SEC media days. This year’s schedule is more manageable but still laced with obstacles.

The Tigers open with three home games -- out of eight on the schedule – in which they’ll be favored by at least three touchdowns. Their toughest nonconference foe, Washington, ranked 108^th in points allowed last season (35.9).

But LSU’s four-game stretch starting Oct. 6 at Florida ranks among the nation’s toughest.

LSU visits SEC newcomer Texas A@M but does not face Missouri. The Tigers get Alabama at home in the national championship rematch and close the regular season at Arkansas in another blockbuster.

Must-see matchup: vs. Alabama, Nov. 3

Could this be the first of two, again? Quite possibly. LSU is breaking in a new quarterback, Zach Mettenberger, and Alabama has seven new defensive starters, but these are still among the three most talented teams in the nation, along with Southern Cal. With the Tigers itching to avenge their 21-0 loss in the BCS championship game, Death Valley will be boisterous, to say the least, for this “Game of the Year.”

Upset alert: at Auburn, Sept. 22

LSU trounced Auburn 45-10 at home last season, but the Bayou Bengals have dropped five of their last six visits to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn returns 16 starters from the team that whipped Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. New defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is bringing an edge to that unit, while new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler was brought in to ditch the spread and get back to blue-collar football.

It's a breeze: Sept. 1-15 -- North Texas, Washington, Idaho

LSU’s first three opponents went a combined 14-23 last year. The Huskies feature exciting quarterback Keith Price (3,063 passing yards, 33 TDs, 11 INTs), but their young offensive line won’t be able to block ends Sam Montgomery (nine sacks) and Barkevious Mingo (eight sacks) and tackle Bennie Logan. Washington’s run defense (5.1 ypc allowed) is in for a long day.

Brutal stretch: Oct. 6 through Nov. 3. -- at Florida, South Carolina, at Texas A&M, Alabama

After difficult tests against the Gators and Gamecocks, two of the top three SEC East teams, the Tigers visit one of the rowdiest atmospheres in college football: College Station, Tex. The good news is LSU gets an off week before its showdown with the Crimson Tide. Alabama hosts Mississippi State the week before.

Complete schedule:

Sept. 1: North Texas

Sept. 8: Washington

Sept. 15: Idaho

Sept. 22: at Auburn

Sept. 29: Towson University

Oct. 6: at Florida

Oct. 13: South Carolina

Oct. 20: at Texas A&M

Nov. 3: Alabama

Nov. 10: Mississippi State

Nov. 17: Ole Miss