A couple of the e-mails received about Tuesday’s column on Auburn being a dark horse to win the BCS championship had a common thread.

What about LSU ?

Apparently the good and faithful Tigers fans expect a repeat of last season, which is about as realistic as predicting that gas prices will drop to $ 1. 50 tomorrow.

It is not going to happen.

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That doesn’t mean anyone should take the Tigers lightly. Ever.

Les Miles may come across as a little goofy and a guy in dire need of lessons on how to put on a baseball cap (either his head is lopsided or he just doesn’t care if his cap is always slightly tilted ), but the man has an absolutely incredible record at LSU.

Ironically, he was not LSU’s first choice. While some coaches were trying to get their foot in the door, LSU’s first choice was Bobby Petrino, but apparently he wasn’t interested even though it is one of the best jobs in America.

Louisiana is a great state for recruiting college athletes. It is second, per capita, in the number of players who go on to make it to the NFL.

Southern Cal is another great job based on recruiting, and being able to get players is the single most important part of coaching.

Recruiting is the foundation of any successful athletic program.

And what Nick Saban started at LSU — keeping players in state — Miles has continued, maybe even taking it to a new level.

So LSU has talent, but it would be about as easy for the Tigers to repeat as national champs as it would be to get 92, 619 completely sober fans to a football game.

Granted, Miles is 6-0 against BCS opponents since arriving at LSU — Pete Carroll at USC is a mind-boggling 19-4 — and 34-6 overall, but the Tigers are facing much bigger challenges than a year ago, when they lost only to Kentucky and Arkansas, both triple-overtime nail-biters.

First, the Tigers do not have an experienced quarterback. Granted, their past two national championship teams were led by guys who were more smart than talented, but both had experience and both were helped by great defenses. LSU has only five starters coming back on defense.

Second, they lost seven of their top nine receivers and overall have only 12 starters returning. Only Arkansas (10 ) and Vanderbilt (nine ) have less returning experience.

Third is the schedule.

LSU goes to Auburn, where it has not won this century, and the Tigers go to the Swamp to play Florida. LSU may be the toughest place in the SEC for an opponent, but Florida is a very close second in that category.

All of that means the Tigers face more than a few speed bumps in their quest to return to the BCS championship game.

It does not mean the Tigers won’t be very competitive. They will again be fast, nasty and talented.

No doubt, for some in the Tiger nation it was a bitter pill to swallow that they lost to Arkansas in Baton Rouge on their way to New Orleans and a 38-24 victory over Ohio State in the BCS championship game.

That three-overtime thriller — one of CBS’ greatest games of the season — was tied five times, but in the end the great Tigers defense could not stop Darren McFadden and Peyton Hillis.

LSU was ranked No. 1 in the nation when it lost that game and had to get a hard-fought 21-14 victory over Tennessee to get back into the BCS’ final two.

Most likely, the Tigers will have Nov. 28 circled on their schedule this season as they hope for Thanksgiving payback against the Hogs.

It might behoove them to circle the previous game, too. Ole Miss returns 16 starters plus transfer quarterback Jevan Snead.

That game could determine whether it is the Rebels or the Tigers who play on New Year’s Day or in Shreveport.

LSU should be good every year, but no program can win the national championship every year.