| Greetings and welcome to open date week. A lot of people call it a bye week, but LSU doesn't really have a bye from anything. It's not the playoffs. LSU is just ... open. Idle. Null. And void. So what a better time to check out LSU's bowl prospects. We've spanned the globe to bring you 14 — yes, 14 — LSU bowl projections culled from the best and brightest national college football minds. Mostly best and brightest. One is from something called CollegeSportsMadness.com. So 13 out of 14 isn't bad. (I kid the guys at CSM. Just a little newsletter humor). Half the bowl projections have LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on New Year's Day. That's the artist formerly known as the Outback Bowl, if you're wondering. Nothing terribly surprisng there. But a couple of projections have the Tigers playing someone quite interesting in Tampa. Notre Dame. Sure, the Fighting Tigers and Fighting Irish have played a number of times. But it would be a most entertaining matchup this time considering that LSU coach Brian Kelly is just two years removed from leaving Notre Dame for LSU. It was the first time a Notre Dame coach left the legendary program to take another job of his own volition since 1907. That set off, shall we say, a few ill feelings directed his way, not only in South Bend but nationally. As if to say, "How could he leave there to go to That Place?'" Basically for a lot of money and for more resources to help him win that elusive first national championship. That's how. On to other things. Like the top five things to watch in the SEC this weekend with LSU, as we said earlier, idle. Not on a bye. Finally, our esteemed LSU beat writer Wilson Alexander is getting married Saturday, but when he gets back to work for Alabama week he'll be wanting some questions to answer in his weekly mailbag. So, instead of a set of a set of sheets or a melon baller, give Wilson the gift of a really great question for the biggest week of the season, won't you? Well, pretty short list this time, but we'll be back with lots more content next week. Until then, enjoy your non-LSU football weekend and we'll see you next time. Bye. I mean, idle. No, I actually mean bye. Yes, that's right. Scott Rabalais | 