Ed Orgeron is having to prove himself once again after the LSU Tigers had a very rough season in 2020.
It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was marveling over the fact that Ed Orgeron had assembled one of the greatest college football teams of all time. The 2019 LSU Tigers were a force to be reckoned with and Orgeron was responsible for putting all of the pieces in place for that remarkable national championship run.
But now, after an incredibly disappointing 2020 season that saw the Tigers take a monumental step back in the Southeastern Conference, it appears as if LSU’s head coach must prove himself once again.
According to a group of experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports, Orgeron is no longer one of the 10 best college football coaches in the country.
He’s not even among the top three coaches in the SEC.
CBS Sports and 247Sports ranked Ed Orgeron as the 5th best coach in the SEC and the 11th best coach in the country heading into the 2021 season
In the SEC coaches rankings, Orgeron was ranked behind Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Kirby Smart, and Dan Mullen, in that order.
Of course, this shouldn’t be a huge shocker given just how much the LSU Tigers struggled in 2020. In the first game after winning their national title, Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello racked up 623 passing yards on LSU’s widely respected defense as the Bulldogs went on to win 44-34 in Death Valley.
Costello and the Bulldogs struggled so much after thumping LSU that he ended up losing the starting quarterback gig and MSU finished the season at 4-7.
As it turns out, losing a quarterback as good as Joe Burrow and a defensive coordinator like Dave Aranda (along with everyone else LSU lost) impacted just how good the Tigers could be in 2020. And while everyone expected something of a regression, LSU going 5-5 in 2020 was worse than most could have foreseen.
It is absolutely a fair thing to ask if Orgeron’s success in 2019 was a product of the multitude of talented players on LSU’s roster and the group of brilliant coaches he had surrounded himself with.
Still, it feels a little bizarre to see many write Orgeron off so quickly.
The Tigers have made some changes to their coaching staff from last season and have a ton of talent all over the field. It seems plausible that LSU finds a way to bounce back this season. And if that happens, Orgeron might earn himself a little more recognition and respect.
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