When LSU opens the 2019 season against Georgia Southern on August 31 they will do so as the No. 6 ranked team in the nation as the preseason USA Today Coaches poll was announced on Thursday.

LSU, which is coming off a 10-3 mark and a Fiesta Bowl win in 2018, is ranked in USA Today Preseason Top 25 for the 19th straight year, a streak that dates back to the 2001 season. A year ago, LSU entered the season ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll.

The No. 6 preseason ranking in the Coaches Poll is the highest for the Tigers since 2016 when LSU opened the year ranked No. 6.