LSU was already in the AP Top 10 before the season began.
Then the Tigers had one of the most impressive season openers of anyone by defeating preseason No. 4 Clemson 17-10 on the road.
That vaulted LSU from No. 9 to No. 3 as the Tigers prepare to play Louisiana Tech in their home opener Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The win over Clemson ended a five-year losing streak in season openers and established LSU as a legitimate national championship contender, at least as much as a team can appear in early September.
But Tigers coach Brian Kelly's focus this season is on keeping his team focused on going 1-0 each week.
"Clemson is a darn good football team, but it's only one game," Kelly said. "We have a standard of playing football at LSU, and we have to play to that standard e