Alex Brandon / AP

LSU coach Les Miles, second from from front right, celebrates with the Tigers after they took a 28-24 lead over Florida on Saturday. “It doesn’t matter who’s ranked No. 1 at this time of the year,” Miles said.

The Tigers came in allowing just 6.4 points per game. By halftime, the Gators had 17 points — on three well-executed, time-consuming scoring drives.

“I believed in us,” LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith said. “We knew if we just went out there and played, we could win the game. We just had to maintain focus.”

Offensively, Flynn was consistently inconsistent. Sophomore Ryan Perrilloux, the change-of-pace QB, was more effective, particularly when running the option. How Miles handles the evolving quarterback situation will be a major factor in LSU’s national-title development.

But that’s for the future.

There’s plenty to absorb in the present.

Through two tumultuous weeks in the top 10, LSU has managed to stay afloat. It hasn’t always looked pretty, but the Tigers are 6-0. There’s something to be said for that.

“There was never any doubt about us winning this game,” Flynn said. “We just kept playing.”

That’s the secret for LSU. The Tigers must keep playing — playing hard, playing together. The contenders have fallen, shuffling the deck, creating some unpredictable scenarios that may carry over into November.

LSU might not be an overwhelming national-championship-level team. But it probably is the team with the fewest amount of flaws.

Right now, that adds up to No. 1, even on a night when LSU was far from perfect.

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