As the next generation of NFL stars start to pour in, it is noticeable that a few blueblood colleges are home to a lot of the top prospects. LSU is one of the schools that is starting to produce some major talent at the pros. Justin Jefferson of the Vikings, Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and of course, Bengals QB Joe Burrow were all LSU rookies that shined in their debut season. Those 3, along with Ja’Marr Chase, produced one of the most efficient offenses that we have seen in college football, but does it top them all?
What the 2019 LSU Tigers offense showed us was efficiency at its best. Every down, you could basically count on them to deliver 7 yards at least. As an offense, they totaled for about 569 yards a game. Let that stat sink in. Almost 600 yards every single week. That is truly a once in a blue moon stat. Receivers were able to get open, and more importantly, Joe Burrow was able to extend plays like no other quarterback. If they needed a “break” from passing, you had CEH, one of the most physical running backs, right by your side. Edwards-Helaire was one of the more underappreciated players on this offense. The way he was able to get through seams in the o-line was special, giving the Tigers another advantage to their already unstoppable offense.
What other offenses are in the way of making LSU the best, or are there any at all? There is one team I believe that stands in the way of crowning LSU the best offense in CFB. That would be the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tommie Frazier led this offense, becoming one of the best dual threat QB’s in the nation. Frazier is famous for his 75 yard touchdown run against Florida in the National Championship, pretty much summing up how dominant this offense was. In every game that season, Nebraska won by an average of about 40 points. There was no possible way to control them. Leading up to the National Championship, every analyst and expert predicted this game to be within a possession or two, but Nebraska ended up winning by 38.
You could argue that the game has changed over the last 25 years, but the numbers speak for itself. This Nebraska team was different. No disrespect towards LSU, as that offense is just right behind them. Burrow and Chase put on a show night in and night out, but I just don’t think that they keep up with the Huskers. To be fair, you could say the LSU’s offense felt more electric because of the impossible plays that they made possible, but I don’t think that that’s what makes them better than Nebraska.
Looking back at what LSU was able to do in their bowl games is one of the most rare things a college football fan will ever see. It truly looked effortless. They put up a combined 105 points in the CFP, the most ever by a team, and won by a combined 52 points. They made Clemson and Oklahoma’s defense look like FCS teams who had nothing to play for. They made the competitive games uncompetitive, and that’s what truly dominant offenses are made to do. In the end, it will always be up for debate whether Joey B led the best offense in CFB numbers, but I feel like the stats show that Nebraska out does the Tigers by a slim margin. Will we ever see another offense come close to what these two did in the next few years? Maybe Spencer Rattler and the Sooners can do something of that nature, but it’s going to take something special.
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