The media’s Preseason All-Southeastern Conference football teams and rankings were released on Thursday — much to the dismay of many SEC coaches who find the predictions to be pointless.
Those on hand at SEC Media Days chose LSU to finish third in the SEC West with 1324 points and seven first-place votes.
The Tigers were placed behind Alabama, who received 1681 points with 225 first-place votes, and Texas A&M with 1333 points and 11 first-place votes.
LSU coach Les Miles indicated that he does not care where LSU starts the season, but instead, where it finishes.
“A year like this year, where you are not necessarily picked No. 1, basically there is a responsibility for us to control the outcome,” Miles said. “… It really does not affect us what the perimeter of that team room says about them.”
Miles is not the only one who sees flaws in the system. Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose team received 182 of 243 votes predicting it to be the SEC Champion, called out the media on the accuracy of these predictions, calling the the process “almost a little bit crazy.”
Saban noted that the media has only chosen the correct team to win the SEC four times in the past 21 years.
“Now, if I was 4-17 as a coach, I would be back in West Virginia pumping my gas at my daddy’s gas station,” Saban said.
Despite what coaches may think of them, there is little chance these preseason polls and rankings will go away any time soon.
LSU had nine players featured in the Preseason All-SEC Football Teams. Three of these Tigers were voted onto the first team.
Junior defensive tackle Anthony Johnson was the third defensive lineman voted onto the team with 127 votes behind South Carolina junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney — 223 votes — and Florida senior defensive tackle Dominique Easley — 162 votes.
LSU senior safety Craig Loston — 135 votes — was also voted onto the first team as the second defensive back behind Alabama junior defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix — 203 votes.
The final Tiger to be named to the first team was junior wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who received the most votes for the return specialist position with 74 votes.
Beckham was also featured as the all-purpose player on the second team. He was joined by LSU senior linebacker Lamin Barrow, who was featured on the second-team defense.
The Tigers had three members on the preseason All-SEC Third Team offense in senior running back Alfred Blue, junior offensive tackle La’el Collins and senior offensive guard Josh Williford.
LSU senior linebacker Tahj Jones and sophomore cornerback Jalen Mills also received enough votes to be put on the third team.