Winning a championship in college football is harder than in any other sport.

There’s no time to find your footing or get off to a slow start during the regular season. To contend for a championship, a team has almost no choice but to come out firing on all cylinders. There are tons of factors at play, and one of the biggest . among is talent. That’s something LSU currently has in abundance.

As the college football landscape stands now, it’s incredible difficult to win without consistently bringing in top-five recruiting classes. Of the last four national champions, Ohio State had three top-five classes on this national championship team. Florida State had two when it won in 2013, and Alabama’s 2011 and 2012 teams had three each.

While it’s not a given that stacking up top-five recruiting hauls will put a team in the championship picture — recent seasons at traditional powerhouses Florida, Southern California and Notre Dame prove that there’s a lot more to it than that — LSU’s 2015 team will be creeping into that territory. The Tigers have brought in two straight top-five teams after springing up the recruiting standings in the final stretch of the 2015 cycle.

With that, LSU has a remarkable haul of talent from the last two years from classes ranked No.2 and No. 5, respectively, by the 247sports industry composite:

  • Offensive signees: 3 five-stars, 15 four-stars, 7 three-stars
  • Defensive signees: 3 five-stars, 7 four-stars, 6 three-stars

While the defensive haul is pretty good, the offensive talent on hand is staggering. With Leonard Fournette, Darrel Williams, David Ducre, Derrius Guice and Nick Brossette in the backfield, plus Malachi Dupre, Trey Quinn and Tyron Johnson out wide, LSU has brought it one of the best collection of young skill players in the country. Add in a handful of touted offensive line recruits and LSU should have more than enough firepower.

The question for LSU, of course, is going to be quarterback play on that side of the ball. Brandon Harris is one of those four-star offensive signees, and he seems to have all the potential to be a game-breaking player for the Tigers — if he can get on the field, something he didn’t do in 2014.

The defense, while not quite as loaded, is still immensely talented. The secondary, much like LSU’s skill positions on offense, is bursting with talent: Jamal Adams, Kevin Toliver, Donte Jackson and Ed Paris have picked LSU in the last two years. Clifton Garrett, Travonte Valentine, Davon Godchaux and Arden Key are there to make an impact in the front seven.

With so much talent, it’s hard to imagine the Tigers doing anything but contending. Proud owners of one of the best home-field advantages in the SEC, a top-notch coaching staff and talent for days, LSU should be in the championship picture going forward.

It might not be in 2015. But with its recruiting the last two cycles, LSU has a window to break through in the SEC within its sights.