re: Everyone who's followed Brian Kelly over the years knows...

My view of LSU has changed once I looked at their roster. Unlike some other teams where coaches have early success, they are VERY young. More than I had originally thought.

But while I think their team will likely improve, I do think some of their success this year was a bit of a mirage. I think their winning the west was more about Bama not being the normal Bama we're used to... and if they were we'd see LSU as a 8-4 non division champ which is probably an accurate representation of how their team played rather than a 9-4 team that made it to the SECCG in their first season.

I believe Kelly is a very good coach who will improve LSU to a certain level. What I doubt is that he is an elite coach who can win a national title at LSU. To use a comparison... I see him as a Mark Richt type coach... not a Kirby Smart. He can make LSU very good... but just a step below what is needed to win a national title.