 LSU's overall record of 35-24 merited at-large consideration, but it was undone by poor performance in the Southeastern Conference, where the Tigers finished 8th out of 12 teams at 13-17.LSU won national championships in 1991, '93, '96, '97 and 2000 under Hall of Fame coach Skip Bertman, who was the school's athletic director at this time.Conference champions from 30 Division I conferences earned automatic bids to regionals.