The LSU football team is already making history.
The Tigers picked up their highest preseason ranking ever in the USA Today Coaches poll as they enter the 2007 season as the nation’s No. 2 ranked team, the publication announced Friday.
The University of Southern California came in at No. 1 in the poll, capturing 45 of the 60 first place votes. Florida was third in the poll, followed by Texas and Michigan.
It is the highest preseason ranking for LSU since starting the 2004 season ranked No. 3 in the nation. It also marks the fourth consecutive year that LSU will enter its season opener ranked in the top 10. A year ago, the Tigers were No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and No. 9 in the Coaches’ Poll to start the season.
Other Southeastern Conference teams in the poll include Georgia at No.13, Auburn at No. 14, Tennessee at No. 15, and Arkansas at No. 20.
In all, the Tigers are scheduled to play four teams who are ranked in the preseason top 25 with all four of those contests coming in Tiger Stadium. The Coaches’ poll is made up of 60 Division I-A coaches, including LSU coach Les Miles. The coaches poll makes up a portion of the Bowl Championship Standings formula, along with the Harris Interactive poll and the computer rankings.
Here are the complete rankings:
1. Southern California (45) 2. LSU (4) 3. Florida (9) 4. Texas 5. Michigan (2) 6. West Virginia 7. Wisconsin 8. Oklahoma 9. Virginia Tech10. Ohio State 11. Louisville 12. California 13. Georgia 14. Auburn15. Tennessee 16. Rutgers 17. UCLA18. Penn State 19. Nebraska20. Arkansas 21. Florida State 22. TCU23. Boise State 24. Hawaii25. Texas A&M
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm