College Football Rankings 2011: 4 Reasons Why LSU Won't Finish the Season No. 1

On Saturday night, the LSU Tigers continued their streak of dominance with another statement victory over a ranked opponent, as they proved to be just too much to handle for a quality West Virginia team.

The road win moves the Tigers to 4-0 on the season, and it helped them gain the attention of the pollsters.

LSU has supplanted Oklahoma as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll, and it’s hard to say that the Tigers don’t deserve it.

We’re only four weeks into the season, and the Tigers already have three strong wins over ranked opponents on their resume.

The question is, can they keep their grip on the No. 1 spot for the whole season? 

You can make a convincing case that LSU has the best defense in the country, and they’ve also got a few nice playmakers, like running backs Spencer Ware and Michael Ford and receiver Rueben Randle, who are emerging on the offensive side of the ball.

Still, it won’t be easy to run the table, especially with the remaining conference schedule that they have to get through.

While LSU certainly deserves a No. 1 ranking right now, here’s a look at a few reasons the Tigers may not be able to maintain it.

1. The Quarterback Position

In the past, we’ve seen LSU win national titles with mediocre quarterbacks like Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck, who lacked talent but were effective game managers.

This year’s starter, Jarrett Lee, would seem to fit that same type of mold, but you have to wonder if there will be a game or two when Lee reverts back to his old interception-machine self.

You have to give him credit for getting the job done so far.

But, the truth is, Lee is a borderline starting-caliber quarterback and because of the strong play of the LSU defense, he hasn’t exactly been put in a situation where he’s had to go out and make a big throw in a crucial situation.

You have to figure that he’s going to be put to the test at least a few times during the remainder of the season, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to handle the heat or not.  

There’s also the looming distraction of a possible Jordan Jefferson return, that could throw a wrench into the whole dynamic of the offense.

2. Les Miles

There’s no doubt that coach Les Miles has had his fair share of luck in recent years, and Miles even managed to back his way into a national title back in 2007.

The Mad Hatter hasn’t pulled any big tricks out of his sleeve so far this season, but I’m sure we'll see a few head-scratching decisions in the weeks to come.

Will Lucky Les’ gambles continue to pay off, or will they finally come back to bite his team?

3. Alabama

Everyone’s pointing to the big showdown with No. 3 Alabama, in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 5, as possibly the biggest game of the 2011 season.

If both teams can survive unscathed until then, it will probably be one of the most hyped regular season games that we’ve seen in college football in quite some time.

Alabama’s defense is just as nasty as LSU’s, and they’ve got one of the country’s top bell cow backs in Trent Richardson.

While a lot can still happen between now and November, it’s obvious that the Tigers will have Alabama in the back of their minds up until then.

4. The Rest of the SEC

Not only does LSU have to worry about Alabama, the Tigers also have to be ready for a grueling gauntlet of SEC teams.

The Tigers have five challenging opponents left on their schedule: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee.

While LSU is sure to be favored in all of those matchups, with the exception of Alabama, that doesn’t mean that the Tigers won’t have their hands full on a few occasions.

Even if they make it all the way to Atlanta, they’ll still have to deal with a tough opponent out of the East division, whether it be South Carolina, Florida or Georgia.

LSU could probably survive one loss and still stay in the national title hunt, but two losses would likely knock them out of the BCS championship picture.