LSU Football: 5 Storylines Heading into Spring Ball

The LSU Tigers are usually one of the top teams in all of college football, and this season should be no different.

Despite coming off of a tough loss in the national championship, this is a team that's returning a total of 11 starters. They may have lost a lot of talent but should be fine considering they recruit extremely well.

Although we still may be months away from college football kicking off, spring ball is right around the corner. The Tigers' first spring practice is scheduled for March 1, and the spring game will take place on March 31.

As we get ready for everything spring has to offer, here are the top five storylines to pay attention to.

No-Name Wide Receivers

Besides wide receiver Russell Shepard, can you name another receiver on the roster without cheating?

Odell Beckham had a great freshman season last year with 41 receptions, but other than that, this receiving corp is lacking.

Players such as James Wright, Jarvis Landry and Kadron Boone will need to step it up. Those three receivers had a combined 16 catches last year. LSU is a team that runs the ball first, but it's important to have playmakers on the outside as well.

Right now, these unknowns need to make a name for themselves.

Who's the Starting RB?

I'm not sure any team in the country is deeper at one position the way LSU is at running back. A total of four players last year rushed for over 300 yards, and they all end up returning this season.

Michael Ford was the leading rusher last season with 756 yards on the ground. Spencer Ware was right behind him with 707 and has a great combination of speed and power. You also can't forget about Jeremy Hill, Alfred Blue and Terrence Magee.

Every one of these backs has something different to bring to the table whether it's great hands, speed, blocking ability or wearing down the defense with aggressive running. This is a dangerous group of guys and could be the main reason they end up back in the national championship picture.

Will Zach Mettenberger Be the Savior?

With LSU losing two senior quarterbacks, somebody has to step up in a big way and contribute for this team.

It appears that Zach Mettenberger is going to be that guy, and although he hasn't really played much, he does have all of the tools to be extremely successful. He has the strong arm, solid accuracy and can make all of the throws on the football field.

He also has great size at 6'5", 221 pounds.

He doesn't have much experience and has had off-the-field issues, but he's about as polished as an inexperienced quarterback is going to get. Watching him take over this offense should be fun to watch, and Tiger fans should be excited about the potential.

How Much Will Mettenberger Get to Throw?

Now that we know Mettenberger is going to be the starting quarterback, the question now is how much will he be allowed to throw the football?

Throughout the last few seasons, the Tigers have always been a run-first team and throw the ball only once in a while. Last season, they ran the ball a total of 591 times compared to the 279 times they threw the ball.

Mettenberger has a much stronger arm that quarterbacks in the past at LSU have had and appears to be more of a complete quarterback.

Here are a few things head coach Les Miles said about the quarterback situation in LSU.

"I think there will be a fun approach, a different view of our quarterback position now," Miles said. "I think it will allow us to throw the football more effectively and to approach a game plan that can feature some receivers and some balls being thrown down the field more efficiently."

This offense could look a bit different next season.

How Much Will National Championship Loss Affect This Year?

This question should be answered within the first few weeks of the regular season. There are a total of 11 starters who experienced that loss last season, and it could give them motivation or it could haunt them as the season goes on.

The second this team has to overcome adversity, it will answer this question. They can either rise to the occasion or crumble and let another promising season slip away.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].