Close games can make or break a team’s season. After all, there’s no prize for being close to winning, as even a one-point loss still goes down as a loss on your record.

Therefore, picking up victories in close games is what separates the best teams in the country from teams that only have decent seasons. On Wednesday, Athlon Sports listed six teams that should fare much better in close games this fall.

The three SEC teams listed by Athlon were LSU, Auburn and South Carolina. All three teams qualified for bowl games last year, with Auburn making it to the Sugar Bowl, but all three also could have been even better.

When you think about LSU, in particular, each of the Tigers’ four losses were just a couple of plays away from being wins. In fact, their four losses were by a combined 21 points, which includes a 10-0 shutout at the hands of Alabama.

Therefore, it makes sense that the Tigers would be a prime candidate to have a bounce-back season when it comes to close games.

If LSU, Auburn and South Carolina do indeed improve in close games this fall, they could make things interesting in their respective division races.