LSU Football: Are Tigers True SEC Contenders in 2015?

LSU won the 2011 SEC title with an emphatic 42-10 win over Georgia and advanced to the BCS National Championship Game to take on Alabama.

At the time, it was par for the course for LSU—a program that had routinely found itself in the SEC and national title races late in November.

Since that ill-fated night in New Orleans with Alabama, though, the Tigers have not won the West and are generally out of the national title talk once the leaves change color.

Last year, when the Tigers finished 8-5, and 4-4 in the SEC, marked the first time the program has been .500 or worse inside the conference since 2008 and only the second time this century.

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Despite many of the same issues from last year lingering, including an uncertain quarterback situation and an inconsistent pass rush, LSU is getting some preseason love this spring.

CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd has LSU ranked 13th in his preseason Top 25. The Tigers chime in at No. 14 in SportingNews.com's early rankings. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach and Brett McMurphy both have the Tigers playing in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, which is one step down in the bowl pecking order from the "New Year's Six."

Sounds like LSU is expected to contend again.

That might be easier written this spring than done this fall, though.

Save for Zach Mettenberger's senior season in 2013, the quarterback position at LSU has been a constant headache for head coach Les Miles ever since Matt Flynn led the program to the 2007 title. 

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

While Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris put up quality stat lines overall during the spring game, each did the most damage against a second-team defense that looked lost all afternoon. Against the first team (white team), the duo combined to complete nine of 16 passes for just 64 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception (Harris) and took five sacks, and the longest completion for each was just 13 yards, according to stats released by LSU.

That's concerning, because a stagnant passing game and indecisiveness in the pocket were two of the biggest problems in the passing game in 2014.

Hilary Scheinuk/Associated Press

Defensively, the transition to new coordinator Kevin Steele looked smooth for the first-teamers in the spring game, but the depth wasn't even in the same zip code. Time after time, wide receivers got loose and tackles were missed, as the offense feasted on the "twos."

Just because LSU isn't there yet, does it mean that it won't be this fall?

Of course not, but while many of LSU's biggest offseason questions remain, its division rivals have taken steps forward.

Texas A&M lured former Tiger defensive coordinator John Chavis to College Station, and he has made an instant impact at his new gig—particularly with defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall.

"Those two guys probably have gotten the biggest impact of John being here," head coach Kevin Sumlin said. "Without a doubt, Daeshon and Myles have big smiles on their faces because they like to rush the passer."

Over at Auburn, Jeremy Johnson cemented himself as the starting quarterback this spring. Running back "Roc" Thomas—who had been known as a player who goes East-West too much—looked much more like a downhill runner in the spring game. The defense, while still depleted a bit by injuries, still managed to get pressure under first-year coordinator Will Muschamp.

Alabama? All the Tide did was find two stud wide receivers in ArDarius Stewart and Robert Foster.

Arkansas? Quarterback Brandon Allen looked much more like a difference-maker than the game manager he's been in the past. If that holds over to the fall, look out for that offense.

LSU has the talent to contend. Miles and his crew have finished inside the top six in 247Sports' team recruiting rankings in each of the last three seasons. But the combination of the inability to blend a dual-threat quarterback with a pro-style scheme and the transition to the new defense has created a rocky path to Atlanta for the Tigers.

At this point, I'll have to see it before I believe it.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.