8/31/10 5:55 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. There are only four days before the start of the 2010 LSU football season.

News on the status of several UNC players is very hard to get. What news I have been able to get conflicts with other reports on the internet. I think that Les Miles and his staff are preparing for a fired-up UNC team, regardless of how many players are not available for the Tar Heels.

I think there are a large number of Tiger fans who are so concerned with UNC's players who will miss the game and are not aware of LSU having at least three key players that will not play in the game. Chris Tolliver, the fourth wide receiver and a starter on special teams, will not play. Also unavailable will be Ryan Baker, a starter at linebacker who was having a great Fall camp before going down with an injury, and Karnell who was in a battle with Brandon Taylor for a starting safety position.

In the 2009 season, there was a lot of talk that Les Miles might have worked the team too hard in Summer workouts and in Fall practice. It appeared that the team seemed to loose steam toward the end of the season because of tired legs. Les Miles made adjustments in Fall practice leading up to the start of the season and has already given the team two days off within a five-day period three times this Fall, and the players are very happy about the change, as are a couple of assistant coaches.

I believe that strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt and defensive coordinator John Chavis are largely behind the move to give the team breaks from the daily grind. I look for fresh legs and stamina when LSU takes the field against UNC and the remainder of the season. I also believe that former LSU All-American center Ben Wilkerson, who is now working with the team as a volunteer assistant, is a big hit with the team.

I cannot promise Tiger Fans that LSU will win the game, but I can tell you that the team will play as hard as possible for 60 minutes. I hope all Tiger fans understand that the LSU players and coaches want to win all the games they play more than anyone else.

Here is a great article on Jordan Jefferson that all Tiger fans need to read.

I want to thank all of you who have voted in my poll asking "What will LSU’s Record Be at the End of the 2010 Regular Football Season?" I am very pleased that as of 8 p.m. when I sat down to write this update that 6,200 people had voted in the poll with 10-2 leading with 31.7 percent of the votes and 9-3 at a close second with 29.8 percent. 8-4 was third with 18.2 percent. If you have not yet done so, it's not to late to cast your vote!

Reader comment: LSU Atlanta Update: The alumni chapter confirms that the big kickoff bash on Friday night has added a special 15 minute performance onstage by members of the LSU Tiger Marching Band and the Golden Girls! The show at the Tabernacle right near CNN Center presents (in order) Amanda Shaw, Travis Matte & The Kingpins (with Tiger Band showing up during their set) and Bag of Donuts on the main stage plus Zydeco T and Zydefunk in the downstairs showroom. $25 for floor, $45 for reserved balcony seating. It’s a large venue so there will be tickets available at the door. LSU Atlanta has also produced a Kickoff Fan Guide to help traveling Tigers find their way around. The guide even gives some tips for where to find the cheapest gas between Mobile and Atlanta! Find the fan guide and link to the Tiger Kickoff Bash/tickets at www.LSUatlanta.com.

8/30/10 6:25 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. I hope that many of you will take time to vote in my poll today asking "What will LSU’s Record Be at the End of the 2010 Regular Football Season?" I am anxious to see how Tiger fans feel about this year's team.GAME WEEK is finally here and I am glad because it feels like it has been a long time since LSU played Penn State in the Capital One Bowl.

LSU will open the season against North Carolina in the Georgia Dome at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ABC. The LSU - UNC game is hard to pick because of the possibility of several UNC players not playing in the game, but as of today only two players, both cornerbacks, have been ruled out. I am hoping that UNC plays the game with a full deck of players and I like LSU's chances of winning the game if UNC is at full strength.

I want to point out that the Tigers are 7-1 in football games played in the Georgia Dome. The Tigers have a 4-0 record in Chick-Fil-A games - 2 wins against GA Tech, 1 win over Clemson and 1 win over Miami. The Tigers have a 3-1 record in SEC Championship games – 2 wins against Tennessee, 1 win/1 loss against UGA. The Ga Dome has been a great venue for LSU, and I hope Tiger fans show up big for the game on September 4. According to early reports, LSU will have close to 25,000 season ticket holders at the game not counting several thousands of LSU fans living in the Atlanta area.

There are several keys for LSU to win the game. As in most close games, the team with the fewest turnovers and the best field position will win. LSU was very good at protecting the football in 2009 and had very few turnovers, but because of LSU's inability to run the ball the team was forced to punt deep in their own territory often, giving the opposing team good field position. I do not believe LSU's defense was as bad as it appeared to be last season considering the length of time the defense was forced to be on the field because of LSU having so many three-and-out series. With a very much improved offensive line and, hopefully, improvement at the quarterback position and at running back, I think LSU will be able to establish better field position. One other key for LSU winning the game will be to play smart. The Tigers cannot afford false starts, delays of the game and personal fouls. I will have more on the game as it gets closer, including comparing LSU's offensive line against UNC's defensive line, and LSU's defensive line against UNC's offensive line. I'll also compare LSU's wide receivers against UNC's defensive backs and LSU's special teams compared to UNC's.

Reader comments: If you are coming to ATL to see LSU beat North Carolina, you need to read the LSU Atlanta Kickoff Game Fan Guide at www.LSUatlanta.com . The Fan Guide prepared by the alumni chapter is loaded with more information, links and activities than you will find anywhere else. It tells you about entertainment, restaurants, tips about getting around, and even includes a list where you will likely find the cheapest gas between Mobile and Atlanta. You’ll find more than 20 events, restaurants and bars that support the local Alumni chapter and welcome LSU fans on a year-round basis. LSU Atlanta is a partner with the big Tiger Kickoff Bash at the Tabernacle Friday Sept. 3 and has an Official Tailgate Bar at Sidebar <http://www.sidebaratlanta.com/> on Poplar St. near all the action Friday and Saturday to provide an alternative to the expensive downtown tourist traps. The Kickoff Fan Guide is on the home page at www.LSUatlanta.com and is available as a Word file to download and print to bring along with you on the trip. Don’t leave home without it!

Reader comments: The Little Rock Chapter - LSU Alumni Association will be watching LSU vs. North Carolina, Saturday, September 4, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00 pm at Boudreaux's Grill and Bar, 9811 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock. http://boudreauxsgrillandbar.com/ Boudreaux's is a non smoking environment and has to be one of the most LSU friendly locations in Arkansas. This week’s special will be a bucket of 5 beers for $10 and 50% off wings during the game. Check out the LSU Flag, inflatable Tiger out front and the Les Miles Football inside.

Reader comments: Hi everyone! It’s football time again, and that means it’s time for our annual LSU North Houston Alumni Assn's kick-off party. We’ll be back at the Fox and Hound Pub & Grille in Shenandoah, located at 19189 I-45 N 77385. Our party kicks off at 7:00 pm, this Thursday, September 2nd, and goes as long as we want. We will have free appetizers starting about 7, and there will be a full menu available, along with a cash bar. As usual it seems, we’ll also have the TV tuned into Darth Visor, when USC plays So Miss. Come on out, plan on having a good time, talk about LSU football, our golf tournament, or whatever makes you happy. See you Thursday!

Reader comments: Hello from Louisiana Football Magazine! It's that time of year again when we release our annual Preview of all the High School and College Football teams in the state. Go to our online store to get your copies today. Note: now that we have our online store we will be supplying fewer stores with printed copies. Sales are going fast, so order today so that you don't miss out! In the preview you’ll find: detailed previews of ALL Louisiana High School and College teams; coverage of the All-Louisiana High School Offensive Football Team and the Defensive Team; “The Best of the Rest” for standout players that may not have been given quite the recognition they deserve; division previews including 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A and MSPA; a generous amount of photos of high school and college players. To purchase a copy of our magazine visit www.lafootballmagazine.com/store<http://www.lafootballmagazine.com/store>

8/29/10 6:45 am CST

Good morning, Tiger Fans. The LSU football team was given Friday afternoon and Saturday off and will return to practice today. The Tigers will finalize their game plan for the Tar Heels early this week. LSU will likely script the first 12-15 plays on offense which could change depending on field position. I believe LSU's game plan will be to run the football early and often.

There is a lot of speculation concerning the status of several big-time North Carolina players that might not play against LSU. I doubt if anything official will be announced until Thursday or Friday.

I have no doubt in my mind that Tiger fans will see a fired-up LSU team who will play hard until the clock ticks down to three zeros. I believe UNC will put eight men in the box and force LSU to throw the football, and I have confidence in LSU's passing game because of the teams receiving core. I look for Russell Shepard and Rueben Randle to lead LSU in receiving. I do not expect to see LSU's quarterbacks complete more than 50 to 55 percent of passes thrown in the game, but I do expect several completions to go for long yardage and touchdowns. If LSU is successful throwing the football early in the game, that will open up the running game.

In other LSU football news, it appears that all of LSU's home games will be sellouts. The LSU - West Virginia game became a sellout last week. Only a hand-full of tickets remain for the McNeese game. A total of 250 tickets remain LSU's home opener against Mississippi State, and only 500 tickets remain for the LSU - ULM game. Tickets for the Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee games have been sold out for several months.

This coming week is going to be a very busy and exciting week for me. Monday I will be conducting an online poll asking how many games LSU will win this season. Wednesday I will be posting my college picks for week one and Thursday I will be posting my high school picks. There will be several very interesting college football games played in week one to keep a close eye on. I will also have a very important doctor's appointment Monday morning.

The LSU - North Carolina game highlights the list of top games for week one followed by the Virginia Tech - Boise State game to be played Monday night, September 06, at Virginia Tech. I like the Hokies by 17 points. TCU will be playing Oregon State at Cowboy Stadium and I like the Horned Frogs by six points. Connecticut will be playing at Michigan and I like the Wolverines by 10 points. Memphis, coached by former LSU running back coach Larry Porter, will be playing at Mississippi State and I like MSU by 10 points. Southern Miss will be playing at South Carolina and I think the Gamecocks will win in a close game. Northwestern will be at Vanderbilt and I expect the Commodores to win by a field goal. Arkansas State will be playing at Auburn in a very dangerous game for the Auburn Tigers. I like Auburn by seven points. I believe the home teams will win all the games but a few of the games should be very good ones.

Readers comments: I went to the Clear Springs game in Houston Thursday night. I got to watch our LSU commitment Trevon Randall. He ran a kickoff back for a touchdown and had a great game. He seems to be one of the leaders on his team. I hope to see some more of him this year and at LSU in the future.

Reader comments: Greetings and Welcome LSU TIGER FANS! Football season is  here & The Bayou Bengal Booster Club of Mississippi is excited to "kickoff"  another great season of LSU Bayou Bengal Football! This is the beginnning  of our 37th year as an organized LSU Fan/Booster Club in Mississippi. We  are the "only" LSU Booster Club, anywhere, that meets each Monday Night  throughout the football season from opening "kick-off" through the bowl  season. Our Club meets on Monday nights from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm beginning  Monday August 30, 2010 (the Labor day meeting will be held on Tuesday  night ). The meetings will be held at the Piccadilly Cafeteria on I-55  north in Jackson, Mississippi. The meal is "Dutch Treat" and anybody that  loves LSU is invited and we assure you that you will not find any better  opportunity anywhere to share in the true " LSU Tiger Spirit". We have  guest speakers and dissect the football games each week. This is a very  special LSU Night to catch up on LSU football and fellowship with other LSU fans. Reservations are not necessary. Membership is $30.00 per individual  and $50.00 per family. If you have any questions, you may contact Pat  Taylor @ 601-826-4716 or Bill Hulsey at 601-291-1883.