LSU is the No. 1 football team in the country.

Again.

And finally.

The last time the Tigers were the No. 1 team in the country was the 2011 season, which ended with them playing No. 2 Alabama in the BCS Championship in January 2012.

The teams flipped positions after the Crimson Tide rolled to a 21-0 victory in the Superdome.

It took a long time for LSU to get back to the top.

But it finally did Sunday.

After nearly 8 years – 2,848 days to be exact.

The Tigers’ victory against Auburn on Saturday in Tiger Stadium jumped them from No. 2 past No. 1 Alabama in another swapping of positions.

And after both teams have an open date this week, they’ll meet in another 1 vs. 2 showdown – just at they did in that BCS title game, just as they did in the 2011 regular season, when No. 1 LSU prevailed 9-6 in overtime in Tuscaloosa.

But that’s a story for another day. (Probably next week.)

A lot has happened from the time Les Miles’ Tigers were No. 1 until Ed Orgeron’s Tigers became No. 1 – to LSU, to the SEC, to college football, to football in general.

Here are 10 crazy things that demonstrate just how long it has been since LSU was the No. 1 football team in the country:

1. Then and now

LSU and Alabama have played 9 times since the last time the Tigers ascended to No. 1 during the 2011 season. The Crimson Tide have won the past 8 since that Tigers’ win in overtime.

In those 9 games, LSU has scored a total of 8 touchdowns.

Last month LSU scored 9 touchdowns against Vanderbilt.

There aren’t those Tigers.

2. Preparing to ride in on a white horse

Joe Brady, the Tigers’ first-year wunderkind passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach, was a junior wide receiver (and he was called Joey back then) at William & Mary the last time LSU was No. 1.

Speaking of 1, that’s the number of passes Brady caught during the 2011 season.

But, perhaps in a sign of where he was headed, Brady was a Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic team selection.

3. No. 1 NFL Draft pick has retired from the NFL

Stanford QB Andrew Luck didn’t win the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

He was a finalist, but Baylor QB Robert Griffin III won it.

Luck, though, was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, selected by the Indianapolis Colts to replace Peyton Manning

Though he proved to be a very good NFL quarterback, injuries took their toll on Luck and he shockingly announced his retirement 2 months ago.

4. No. 1 States

A lot of teams have been ranked No. 1 since the start of the 2012 season.

Kansas State is one. Mississippi State is one.

Louisiana State was not. Until Sunday.

5. Tops in the NFC, but not the Big Ten

Jim Harbaugh coached the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship and a berth in the Super Bowl after the 2012 NFL season.

When his alma mater came courting, he couldn’t say no, becoming Michigan’s head coach before the 2015 season. The Wolverines have spent a lot of time in the top 10 and are routinely touted as national-championship contenders.

But they have yet to win even a Big Ten division championship under their former quarterback.

6. Fuzzy math

Speaking of the Big Ten, it had 12 teams when LSU was last No. 1. Since then it has grown to 14 teams – even though it’s still called the Big Ten.

You might wonder why it didn’t become the Big 12 when it grew to a dozen members, but that name already was taken – by the 10-member Big 12.

The Big 14? Don’t hold your breath.

7. Legends leaving left and right

It has been less than a decade, but a whole bunch of legendary college football coaches have retired in that time. (At least temporarily, for some. We’re looking at you, Urban Meyer.)

Thirteen of the 100 winningest coaches were coaching when LSU was last No. 1, but are not coaching now.

They are: Frank Beamer, Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier, Bill Snyder, Gary Pinkel, Bob Stoops, Meyer, Mark Richt, Tommy Tuberville, Dennis Erickson, George O’Leary, Mike Price and Paul Johnson.

8. Up, down and back up

Penn State was nearing the end of a decades-long stretch as one of the elite programs in the country.

Then came the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the end of the Paterno era, Paterno’s death and NCAA probation.

But under former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, the Nittany Lions have recovered nicely. They’re undefeated and just 5 spots behind the top-ranked Tigers.

9. Rock, chalk, say what?

The football coach at Kansas might have greater job security than the men’s basketball coach at Kansas.

Yeah, Les Miles (who started this whole thing) is taking baby steps in just his first year of rebuilding the Jayhawks’ football program, though that near-miss at Texas was cute.

It’s understood that his task is a long-term one and expectations are realistic, so he will be given time.

On the other hand, Bill Self, the guy with all those Big 12 titles and trips to the Final Four, has circled the wagons amid a serious NCAA investigation into his hoops program.

10. The Odd Couple

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and John Heisman – as in the Heisman Trophy – are routinely being mentioned in the same breath.

When the Tigers last were No. 1, their quarterbacks were Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson – good players, but hardly Heisman Trophy candidates.

Elite QB play at LSU.

A No. 1 ranking.

It’s been a long time coming.