CBSSports.com picks LSU as preseason No. 1

The 2010 college football season may have just ended Monday night, but media outlets have already started making predictions for the upcoming season. And thanks to a strong group of returning players and a recruiting class expected to be among the nation’s best, LSU is ranked high by all of the major publications. The Tigers are No. 1 on Dennis Dodd’s CBSSports.com early rankings. “Les Miles saying no to Michigan is going to be a huge intangible going into 2011,” Dodd says. While LSU has a tough schedule—kicking off the year by playing Oregon in Cowboys Stadium, plus road trips to Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi State and West Virginia—Dodd says the Tigers have the pedigree to absorb a loss or two and still stay in the hunt for their third BCS Championship. Read the preview here. Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated has the Tigers third, behind Oklahoma and Oregon. While Stevan Ridley, LSU’s leading rusher, is set to go to the NFL, Staples says the team’s offense should improve. “As the Cotton Bowl win against Texas A&M proved, Spencer Ware can also carry the football a little,” he says. Read the column here. The Tigers are ranked fourth by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, behind Oklahoma, Alabama and Oregon. LSU is returning eight defensive starters, but the team sustained significant losses, he says, noting that All-American cornerback Patrick Peterson won’t be back to play, along with tackles Lazarius Levingston and Drake Nevis and middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. Read Schlabach’s column here.