re: In all honesty LSU fans, what has y'all excited this year?

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Would've been last year

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Nah. 2011 never happened

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i think 10-2 is our ceiling but it's an attainable ceiling. i just can't go higher with les as our coach.

i say that fully understanding he has gone 12-0 in a season.

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lol

maybe the dumbest thing i've ever seen posted

That the offseason is over soon, so shitty threads like this will stop for 5 months.

I'm not too worried about the offense. The line should be good, and the backs and receivers are great. As many have said, it all depends on Harris. My feeling is that he's ready.

When I think about a traditional 3-4 defense, which LSU is moving to, I think monster nose guard and two big middle linebackers, which I haven't seen. Some have said (or speculated) that Aranda's defense is different.

That said, LSU has only one experienced big linebacker and one very talented big freshman who will still take time. I think they can get around this by moving some guys around, maybe finding a surprise or two among guys who haven't played, and maybe springing another surprise here or there.

Nose guard concerns me more than linebacker because they just don't have anyone who's shown both the size and talent to play there. Again, Aranda's defense is said to be different, to the extent that they experimented with Godchaux at NT in the spring. The idea is to use his speed; if he can stand up to, or get around, the pounding, he may be fine. Gilmore has the size but hasn't shown any wow factor. But I hear there's a unicorn sniffing around that might fill the bill. If Valentine gets eligible and is just average SEC caliber, he might go a long way towards fixing the problem.

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I'm not gonna flame or anything

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That's like saying " I'm not trying to be an a-hole..... BUT

The general excitement for LSU is the fact that we return 38 of the top 44 players and a top 3 recruiting class while every team we play in the SEC is either in major rebuilding mode or at least replacing key major skill position players such as QB's and pass rushers.

Additionally, we made what should be key upgrades at DC, WR's, and RB coaching slots. Moving from a 4-3 base d to a 3-4 base D.

We could run the table or we could shite the bed. Something tells me that our fortune will be determined in early Nov. Looking forward to it.

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Replacing Steele with Aranda is the icing on top of this deliciously stacked cake.

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That's more than icing on the cake. I'd say not being gutted by the draft is bigger, but only marginally.

Donte Jackson the sparingly used dime back had a better statline in '15 than all but three of the bama DBs on their '16 roster.

If bama has the top secondary in the country like a good bit of their fans proclaim how is it that LSU's #6 DB had better numbers than all but three of their DBs?

LSU returns more experience and production along the Dline and the secondary than bama. Simple fact. Tigers even return more production at the LB positions than the tide.

1. Tied for most returning starters in the SEC from a 9-3 team. Guys like White, Pocic and Beckwith staying is enormous. A lot of out competition lost a lot of talent.

2. Returning QB is an unperclassmen with a year under his belt. Haven't had that since 2013.

3. LF7 still exists

4. dropped Steele and got a really promising young DC in Aranda. Clemson, Bama and Russia can attest how well things go after the Steele Curtain drops.

5. the last 4 years have seen 3 top 3 recruiting finished and 4 top 10. While i don't put a ton of stock into recruiting rankings, guys like LF7, Dupre, Jamal Adams and Gochaux are actually upperclassmen, and money of them are 3 year starters. Thats a lot of talent and experience.

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Their RB will run all over our defense and they'll end the dynasty.

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This has been said every year? Interesting.