UL Monroe @ Louisiana State preview

Amazingly, LSU keeps finding ways to win. Three more victories, and it just might find itself in no worse than a BCS bowl.

The No. 6 Tigers will look to avoid a letdown when they take a break from Southeastern Conference play against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

After finding a way to take down defending national champion Alabama at home last week, LSU (8-1, 5-1 SEC West) is fifth in the BCS standings, and has an outside chance of representing the West Division in the SEC championship game. Not bad for a team that rotates quarterbacks, and has a coach that eats grass.

The Tigers need plenty of help to reach the SEC final, where a victory has clinched a spot in the BCS Championship game lately.

First, undefeated Auburn, the only team to beat LSU (24-17), needs to lose its final two games against Georgia and Alabama.

Alabama is the other one-loss team in the West, but LSU beat the Crimson Tide 24-21 last week. The big play was one of Miles’ specialties, a 4th-and-1 gamble from the Alabama 26-yard line that sent tight end Deangelo Peterson on a reverse for a big gain and put them in position to grab the lead in the fourth quarter.

Before the play, cameras caught the quirky Miles reaching down and grabbing a blade of grass to eat.

Miles once again rotated quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, and got a combined 14-of-20 passing for 208 yards and one touchdown. Jefferson, who has drawn the ire of Tigers fans at times this season for erratic play, also had 27 yards rushing in one of his best games of the season.

The Tigers, though, still control their own destiny as far as getting a BCS bowl berth, and all the money and exposure it brings. Should LSU defeat Louisiana-Monroe, Ole Miss and Arkansas, an at-large BCS bid should be waiting.

Louisiana-Monroe (4-5, 3-3 Sun Belt) is taking on an SEC team for the third time this season after losing to Arkansas and Auburn by a combined 83-10 earlier this season. The Warhawks, like all small-conference schools, are helped in recruiting, money and exposure when they take on the big boys.

Louisiana-Monroe needs two wins in its final three games to become bowl-eligible. The Warhawks finish the season at home against North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette.

LSU won the lone meeting 49-7 in 2003.