I am an Alabama fan. Yes, I have a sense of arrogance about me. I think that on any given day, my team is the best team. I think that we have the best coach in college football. I think that we will contend for a national championship every year. Sure, there are upsets, and I recognize that we can't win 'em all, but I go into every game expecting the best.

Because I'm from Louisiana and essentially "defected" to the enemy waters called the Crimson Tide. I developed an admittedly unfair and unnecessary hate for LSU and it's football program. I respected the program enough to recognize that it was a threat every year to our quest for perfection, especially when the game was played in Death Valley. But still, I found myself consistently pulling for whatever team was playing LSU, no matter who it was. This was unfair and outright wrong. I had my "reasons," but they were all unsound and unjustified. Now, my feelings have changed. I actually feel sorry for the LSU program. Yes, I may be just an arrogant Alabama fan, but let me explain.

There is absolutely no reason why LSU should not be contending for national championships every year like Alabama does. None. And I'm not talking about simply winning the SEC or only making the newly-formed playoff. The LSU Tigers consistently have the talent to be in the conversation for a national title every single year. LSU's recruiting classes rival that of other powerhouse programs like Ohio State, Alabama, and Florida State. If those programs are always in the national title picture, then why isn't LSU? It is outright unfair to the players of the program to be recruited with such high expectations only to achieve the same results every year. LSU has too much talent to be finishing in third, fourth, or sometimes fifth in the SEC West every year.

I also think that it is unfair to blame the program's lack of success on quarterback play. It is true, I admit, that LSU has not had the best if quarterbacks, but neither has Alabama. Alabama has succeeded around its defense, which LSU has the talent to match, and a running game. LSU has Leonard Fournette, who I am personally a fan of. I believe Fournette is undoubtedly one of, if not the best, running backs in college football. He is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons that I have ever seen. The wide receivers of LSU I think have more explosiveness than the Alabama receiving corps. Based on everything I've said, the only place to criticize LSU would be at the quarterback position. But if Alabama has succeeded without a great quarterback, then what's the difference?

The answer lies in the coaching staff. At the end of last season, I actually thought the best thing for LSU would be to keep Les Miles. I thought he would learn his lesson and make some changes. He didn't. The difference between LSU and Alabama is the coaching staff. Les Miles is not Nick Saban. That's a fact. Les Miles had all these wonderful offensive weapons, yet he only focused it around Leonard Fournette. He can be the greatest running back in history, but if everyone knows that he's getting the ball and running it up the middle, then he will go nowhere. The coaching staff's failure to build a credible passing game has led to LSU's downfall, and I'm not sure a new quarterback can fix a faulty game plan. Yes, Les Miles may "win games," but the aspirations should be much higher. The goal should be a national championship. Firing him was a good idea.

I am not naïve enough to say that LSU will in no way beat Alabama in November. Anything can happen in Death Valley. That is one of the best home-field advantages in the country. But based on what I've seen so far, this is the same LSU team we've seen in the past. After a, quite frankly, embarrassing loss to Wisconsin, an unimpressive win against Jacksonville State at home, an attempt to throw away the game against a weak Mississippi State team (which shows a lack of discipline), and an upset loss against an average Auburn team. I have concluded that LSU needs to overhaul it's offensive game plan in order to win a game against any strong football program. LSU was right to fire Les Miles. He may be a "player's coach" and have a fantastic winning record, but his results are not up to the standard that LSU should have. Fans have a right to be angry. All the pieces are there. It's just a matter of making them fit.

Now that my LSU rant is complete, I must conclude by saying, "ROLL TIDE ROLL!"