LSU's Bye Week Comes At The Perfect Time

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Over the last few days, I have seen quite a bit of talk regarding the timing of LSU’s scheduled week off. Many people are saying that the Tigers got the short end of the draw with an open date before their heavily anticipated matchup with the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

Some of the points made are fairly reasonable. This is an LSU team that is on an absolute tear as of late, so I can agree with the thought that a week off right as their momentum peaks is not necessarily a positive. After dominating Missouri, Southern Miss, and Ole Miss in consecutive games, this team would have had all the momentum in the world heading into this Saturday.

While some of that momentum will undoubtedly fade, I firmly believe that this bye week could not have come at a more perfect time for Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers.

There is always some argument that can be made against anything, but having an extra week to prepare for the nation’s number one ranked team is something I find indisputable. This is an LSU team that is suddenly back in contention for the SEC championship game and possibly even the College Football Playoff, so winning each game has become increasingly important.

Since Ed Orgeron took over for Les Miles in September, the Tigers have been focused on changing the way they do things both on and off the field. Under Miles, the team’s offense had become predictable and complacent, and in almost five weeks Coach O has been able to significantly improve production on that side of the ball.

In the three games the Tigers have played since Miles was let go, LSU’s offense has posted scores of 42, 45, and 38. The team’s highest point total before that was an underwhelming 34 against Jacksonville. Orgeron has done a fantastic job crafting game plans around the skill sets of his players, and the influence placed on the passing attack has had a remarkable impact on this offense.

With all of that in mind, why in the world would you not want to give Coach O and his staff two full weeks to build a game plan to play the best team in college football? The argument against that is just laughable. Ed Orgeron has proven that he is able to make significant adjustments and improvements from week-to-week, so the thought of this staff having two weeks to prepare should give LSU fans even more optimism heading into the Tigers’ November 5th meeting with Alabama.