All off-season, we say, "We can't wait for football to get here." Well, the wait is finally over for football fans as the Louisiana State University Tigers will kickoff the season this weekend at home against the McNeese State Cowboys.This game is like a preseason game in the NFL. Who cares about preseason?So let's talk about players and season expectations.Let's start at everyone's favorite topic of discussion, and trust me, this won't be a shocker -- quarterbacks.Going into the off-season, it was a battle between Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris, but as recently as last week, LSU head coach Les Miles said Harris was the leader to be the starting quarterback for the Tigers.The questions we need to ask going into the season: Is he ready to be the starting quarterback? Has Harris developed during the off-season? Do the coaches have the trust in Harris to lead this team? Most importantly, do the coaches actually cut him loose and let him throw the ball down the field and allow him to make big plays?Last season, Harris played the role of a relief pitcher, coming in a couple times for Jennings. When LSU was struggling on offense against the Mississippi State University Bulldogs and were down big, Harris came into the game and nearly led a massive come back to beat the Bulldogs.He came into the game with LSU trailing 34-16 with under four minutes left in the contest, and Harris lead the team on back-to-back touchdown drives and almost completed a Hail Mary to win the game at the end.When Jennings was struggling against New Mexico State University, Harris came in and gave the Tigers a spark on offense just like he did against State. He threw for three touchdowns and also added a touchdown on the ground. Harris' performance against New Mexico earned him his first career start against Auburn University the following week. Unfortunately, that did not go well for Harris.Another question we need to ask is, if Harris has another bad game, will Les Miles stick with them or go back to Jennings?I honestly think that Harris has developed and matured during the off-season to the point where if he struggles, Miles will stick with the quarterback throughout the game. Now, if he has a couple bumpy starts, maybe Miles will go back to Jennings to see if he can give them a spark. Plus, I think, Harris will have some good weapons to throw it to in Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre, who will be his top two targets.Those two guys should help should help Harris secure his job most of the season.What else Harris will have working for him is a pretty solid offensive line and a running back by the name of Leonard Fournette, who is one of the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy.Fournette is a do-it-all running back. He set an LSU freshman rushing record with 1034 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has all kinds of moves. I saw him stiff arm players to the ground, run players over -- he even returned a kickoff 100 yards against Notre Dame in  the Music City Bowl.I have no doubt in my mind that Fournette will have an even bigger year in his sophomore campaign. I think the Heisman candidate will finish with close to 1,200 to 1,300 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. I don't see the coaches using Fournette that much on special teams just so they can keep him  fresh for the offense.Fournette should also get some help with the touches from Darrel Williams and true freshman Derrius Guice.Let's move to the defense.Obviously, the Tigers are starting over on defense in terms of a new coach. LSU will move from John Chavis' system to Kevin Steele's defense. So far, Miles and the players like what Steele has done during the off-season as they get ready for their first game this weekend.Unfortunately, the Tigers were dealt a blow even before touching the field for the first time this season. They lost safety Jalen Mills for four to six weeks, which could keep Mills out into the South Carolina game.There's some uncertainty with the LSU defense, especially on the defensive line. But they have some veteran leadership with guys like Lamar Louis, Kendell Beckwith, Tre' Davious White and sophomore safety Jamal Adams.Those linebackers and defensive backs are going to have to create some havoc in order for this defense to have success this season.Now if you are asking me to predict how many games LSU will win, I'll just tell you last year, I said the Tigers would win eight games and they won nine.This season, I will say the schedule is very favorable for LSU to win nine or 10 games. So right now, I'd say LSU will go 9-3.However, if Harris does well at quarterback, and he's given some help from the defense, maybe the Tigers can win 10 or 11 games and win the SEC West.Also, the real test for LSU will be tested in weeks two and three when they have to go to Mississippi State, then the following week host a top-five team in Auburn. Those are just the early season test. Of course, they have to play at Alabama, which is never an easy game,  as well as face Arkansas and Texas A&M late in the season.Good thing for the Tigers is they host the Razorbacks and Aggies this season. So we will get a feel of  how the 14th-ranked LSU Tigers look early on before I can make any adjustments to the wins down the road.