Tiger Time - By Jim Gazzolo

Last week LSU capped off a solid spring run with its second national championship.

The Tigers rallied from an embarrassing 20-run loss in Game 2 of the title series to defeat Florida in the third and deciding game.

That ended a season where LSU was ranked No. 1 for most of the time.

The championship also came just a couple of months after the school’s women’s basketball team won its crown. It isn’t football but it’s not bad either for the folks in Baton Rouge.

Here’s a fact, those championships are not likely to be the last. LSU is prime for a big run in the new world of college sports.

Fueled by the transfer portal and NIL money, LSU is on the verge of becoming a true power in college sports across the board.

Thanks to the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) days were are living in, where everybody is a free agent, Baton Rouge seems like one of the more chosen destinations. Baseball and women’s basketball are just the first to have it pay off.

While the NCAA continues to try and get a handle on both NIL and the portal, schools like LSU have found ways to make the most of all the openings. They should.

With more money than ever being tossed around, college athletics has become the biggest business around. In a state with just one power school, LSU is poised to have a grand run of things.

At least until the rules change, which seems unlikely given the NCAA’s past history.

That leaves LSU in the hands of the people who are willing to pay, and there are many of those around Louisiana who want to be a part of the winning ways.

Whether or not all this movement and money is good for college athletics will be debated for years. It likely has its good and bad like most things.

One thing is for sure, it is here and it is going to be around for some time to come. LSU seems to be building a foundation that will be good for the long haul.

No longer is national signing day the big deal it once was. A good portion of those kids will end up playing for at least one other team if not more. Reloading has replaced rebuilding when it comes to power schools and programs.

LSU and its base have proven a willingness to make the types of moves that will get talent on campus and keep it there. So what if you lose a star player to graduation, a draft or injury, the money will be there to pay the next player up.

Kids want a few things when they pick a school. First, they want to be paid now. That’s the big game changer.

Second,d they want a chance to play right away. They are not sitting around waiting for their big break like before. And they want to play for titles.

Add in the nice weather, a crazy fan following and you have LSU as the perfect landing spot.

We haven’t even mentioned the school’s ability to pay coaches.

None of this guarantees Tiger teams will win everything, but with what is happening on campus they are expected to be at least in the conversations. That can’t be avoided with the number of folks now interested in LSU athletics.

Winning can become a habit and at LSU it looks like title runs are just getting started.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance sports writer for CBS-Lake Charles. He is also the host of Poke Nation on KSWL.