As you may have already heard, LSU lost 37-7 to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Was that because the Bulldogs have an insanely good football team this season — or is LSU just … maybe not as good as everyone thought it was supposed to be?

A few national writers/analysts (one who happens to be a former Tigers player) think the latter may be the case.

SEC Network analyst Marcus Spears, who played for LSU from 2001 to 2004 under Nick Saban, said on Monday that the Tigers “aren’t what we think they are.” By “we,” Spears was referring to himself as an alum and LSU fans.

“We’ve become a mediocre football team and a middle-of-the-pack, very average college football program,” he continued. “We have to stop believing that we are one of those teams that at the end of the year is going to be standing tall.

“A 61 percent winning percentage over the last five years … We’ve got to do better,” Spears said. “We are no longer a championship team.”

National writers Dan Wolken and Barrett Sallee agreed with Spears: