The big news out of Baton Rouge on Friday was LSU's dismissal of star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.

The dismissal of the "Honey Badger," who represented LSU in New York last season as a Heisman finalist, has certainly stirred up debate on how the national-title race will shake out in 2012.

LSU was voted as the No. 1 team in the nation in the recently released coaches poll, but are the Tigers the No. 1 team in the country now that their biggest playmaker is gone?

SEC lead blogger Barrett Sallee examines how Tyrann Mathieu's departure affects the race and gives his top five in this video.