There are plenty of reasons to doubt LSU heading into Ed Orgeron’s second season as the full-time coach in Baton Rouge. Taking into account the uncertainty under center and at running back in a new offensive system, compounded by arguably the toughest three-game stretch to open the season in the nation (vs. Miami in Arlington, vs. SE Louisiana and at Auburn), and it’s easy to see why many are forecasting two losses for the Tigers by Sept. 15.

During a recent appearance on ESPN’s “College Football Live” from SEC Media Days, Orgeron did not shy away from expressing his optimism regarding his program, despite the many questions that face the Tigers.

“We’ll see, we’ll see what happens,” Orgeron said about LSU’s 2018 outlook. “I feel like we’ll have a very good football team, obviously, we’ll have to play very well at the start of the season. We are looking forward to having a great camp and this team I believe will have a hell of a year.”

One of the main reasons for Orgeron’s enthusiasm? The depth, talent and experience returning on the offensive line. Here’s what Coach O had to say when asked about the difference along the line of scrimmage for the Tigers from last season to the upcoming one.

“Definitely have more depth. We have three or four guys that played a lot of football last year on the offensive line,” Coach O continued. “We have some depth, we did a better job of recruiting. We are about to use a rotation to stay fresh.”

The Tigers will likely need the offensive line to play its best football under Coach O to help ease the offensive transition currently underway in Baton Rouge. In addition to hiring offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger this offseason, Coach O hired offensive line coach James Cregg to replace former OL coach Jeff Grimes (he left in the offseason to become BYU’s offensive coordinator).

If the offensive line doesn’t successfully lead the way from the opener, what appears to be a daunting season could turn into a nightmare in a hurry for Orgeron’s LSU program in 2018.