When Georgia Southern head coach Chad Lunsford put an exclamation mark on his first season in Statesboro, one has to wonder how long he enjoyed the 23-21 Camellia Bowl win over Eastern Michigan before reality set in that his next opponent would be the LSU Tigers.

Both LSU and Georgia Southern were surprise teams during the 2018 season, surpassing preseason expectations.

The march towards another 10-win season, or better, for both squads begins on Saturday, Aug. 31, in Baton Rouge.