LSU Tigers

Tom Luginbill breaks down what some of the top teams in the country have done this spring in recruiting.

Five great nuggets of information to get you ready for the weekend in college football.

1. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the only FBS team this season that has not allowed a touchdown drive longer than 75 yards. In fact, the Irish have allowed just six offensive touchdowns in 92 opponent drives all season, the fewest touchdowns and lowest percentage in FBS. The key has been excellent red-zone defense. Notre Dame's opponents have scored a touchdown on 21.7 percent of their red-zone possessions, the lowest percentage for an FBS defense in the last nine seasons.

2. Since Week 2 of the 1993 season, the LSU Tigers have been shut out three times in 244 games. All three of those blankings came:
• At the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide
• Took place in the state of Louisiana
• Game was played at night

In 1996, Alabama shut out LSU, 26-0, and in 2002 won 31-0. Both games were played in Baton Rouge. The third shutout came in the 2012 BCS Championship Game, 21-0, in New Orleans. Dating back to 1975, LSU has been shut out nine times. Seven have been in the state of Louisiana (six in Baton Rouge) and four have come against Alabama.

3. The SEC has a rich tradition of productive running backs, but this season might feature something that hasn't happened in 40 years. Currently there are no SEC players averaging 100 yards per game on the ground. The conference leader is Texas A&M freshman Johnny Manziel (99.1) and he's a quarterback. The last season that the SEC failed to produce at least one player averaging 100 yards per game rushing was in 1972, when Auburn's Terry Henley led the conference at 93.7 yards per game.

4. Out west, the Oregon Ducks have scored at least 42 points in all eight games this season. Oregon is the sixth team in major college history to reach 42 points in its first eight games of a season. However, only one of those teams stretched the streak to nine games: The 2010 Oregon Ducks. That streak was stopped in the 10th game of the season against California. Dating back to last season, Oregon's 42-point streak stands at 11 games, which is the longest all-time.

5. Perhaps the Kansas State Wildcats should be grateful to be No. 2 behind Alabama in the BCS Standings after three weeks. Since 2001, only one of the 11 teams that led the BCS Standings after three weeks went on to win the national championship (USC in 2004). Over that same stretch, five teams ranked second after three weeks won the title (Miami in 2001, Ohio State in 2002, Texas in 2005, Auburn in 2010 and Alabama in 2011).

Join our ESPN.com college football experts as they preview Week 10.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET. See you there.

Be sure to send us pictures of your tailgate celebrations @ESPNCFB. The best photos of your food, friends and family can be found in our GameDay Live chat Saturday morning. Here are our previous tailgates.

Join our ESPN.com college football experts as they preview Week 6.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

Don't forget to send us your best tailgate pictures of your food, friends and family all week long @ESPNCFB and get your photos in our GameDay Live chat Saturday morning. Here are our previous tailgates.

Welcome to Week 4! Join our ESPN.com college football experts as they get you ready for GameDay.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

Now's the time to hit us up with your best tailgate photos. Send your pictures @ESPNCFB or upload them through the chat. We can't wait to see what you're cooking up today. Here are our previous tailgates.

Jim Basquil and the ESPN.com College Football team deliver the highlights, analysis, and interviews from an exciting Week 2 of College Football.

No. 3 LSU's home date with Washington was one of the biggest nonconference games on the docket for Week 2 of the 2012 season. Unfortunately for football lovers it didn't live up to that billing, as the Tigers steamrolled the Huskies in a 41-3 white-washing. Here's the quick gist from Baton Rouge, La.

It was over when: LSU running back Kenny Hilliard dove into the end zone early in the third quarter to give the Tigers a 27-3 lead. The score gave LSU a lopsided scoreline to go along with what was an absolutely dominating box score. The Tigers outgained Washington 437 yards to 183 and limited the Huskies to a startling 26 yards rushing. Red zone woes forced the Tigers to settle for two field goals in the second quarter, holding them to a modest 20-3 lead at halftime. Hilliard's touchdown broke that open.

Game ball goes to: Alfred Blue continued his strong start to the season with a 101 yards on just 14 carries. On LSU's second possession of the night, he coasted untouched through the Washington defense for a 21-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead that the Tigers would not surrender. It was Blue's second straight 100-yard game, making him the first LSU back to open the season with two 100-yard games since Charles Scott in 2008.

Injury bug: Washington had already lost starting right tackle Ben Riva and starting running back Jesse Callier in the season opener. Those injury woes continued early on Saturday night when the Huskies lost another offensive tackle, Erik Kohler, to a re-aggravated knee injury. The Huskies' ability to protect quarterback Keith Price was already an issue, and the loss of Kohler only exacerbated that. Price was on the run for his life all night and finished with just 157 yards and an interception.

Dropping the ball: LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger had a solid night in his second outing. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. That said, the Tigers' receivers did him no favors by dropping five passes on the night. LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had an especially forgettable night, as he dropped several passes in addition to fumbling away the kickoff that led to Washington's lone field goal.

What it means: Not much we didn't already know. The Tigers took care of business with a 38-point win despite some sloppy mistakes, but this was never supposed to be a major test on the schedule. The Huskies look like they'll go as far as their quarterback can carry them this season -- but that won't be far if they can't find a running game to keep defenses honest and off Price's back.

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU closer Nick Goody slumped before the Baton Rouge regional, but in two shutout innings in two days, the right-hander had fantastic stuff.

He struck out the side in the 10th inning in Sunday's 6-5, 10-inning win over Oregon State for his 11th save of the season, setting up the Beavers hitters with hard fastballs, then finishing them off with nasty sliders on all three third strikes.

"He was electric," said Oregon State closer Scott Schultz, who was pretty good in his own right in 8 2/3 innings of splendid relief work for OSU in the loss. "He spotted his fast ball and his slider was pretty good. But he spotted his fastball, just like a major leaguer."

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BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU coach Paul Mainieri summed up the stakes in LSU's 7-1 win over Oregon State Saturday quite nicely.

"These kids didn't need any more pressure on them than they already have, so I didn't tell them until after the game was over that the difference of winning this game was the difference of having to win one more game or three more games," Manieri said. "It's pretty significant."

By winning, the Tigers (45-16) are in great shape heading into the championship round, getting two chances to win one game that will wrap up the the Baton Roug regional.

They'll sit back and watch Oregon State and Louisiana-Monroe play the 1:30 p.m. elimination game. After the Beavers and Warhawks go through nine innings of pitching staff depletion, LSU will be there waiting with weekend starter Ryan Eades (5-2, 3.36) ready to go against whatever the winner of the ULM-OSU game has left.

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On Monday, LSU might be playing to continue its baseball season.

But its most notable player will also be getting his name called on the first day of Baseball's First-Year Player Draft.

Kevin Gausman, the LSU right-hander who will pitch Saturday, is likely to be among the first picks, if not the first pick, when the draft starts Monday.

"Hopefully, we'll all be together Monday night to watch it, but for a positive reason," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said Thursday after his team held a brief practice before Friday's start of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.

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ESPNU's national signing day coverage kicks off at 9 a.m. ET. Here's the list of the announcements and time for some of the top prospects.

NOTE: Bold names are announcements, all others are interviews.