One of the more intriguing questions of the 2013 college football season is what will become of the LSU Tigers.
LSU is in a tough spot in some ways. The Tigers lost 11 players to early NFL draft declarations, which is by far the most of any FBS program, and they lost a total of 11 starters from last year's squad (including kickers and punters). In addition, they play in the toughest division in college football and have a brutal schedule that includes road games at Georgia and Alabama and home contests against Florida and Texas A&M.
So it's understandable why some might be skeptical of LSU's chances to win the SEC in 2013, or even compete at a level close to what we're accustomed to seeing. And to be clear, I'm not calling for the Tigers to win a conference title. But there are several reasons why I think the Tigers could win double-digit games in '13 and give Alabama a run in the SEC West, with a break here or there.