LSU baseball is synonymous with championships.

Since Skip Bertman became coach in the mid-1980s there have been titles galore - six national, four super-regional, 13 regional, seven Southeastern Conference tournament, two SEC West tournament, nine SEC and 13 SEC Western Division.

One would think that the Tigers have experienced all there is about postseason baseball. However, such is not the case.

The 2011 LSU team is preparing for a unique week. The Tigers will be practicing not knowing if there is another game to be played.

LSU failed to sweep its weekend series at Mississippi State, so it did not qualify for the conference tournament this week in Hoover, Ala. However, the Tigers did win two of three games from the Bulldogs to put themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble.

Since Bertman's second year as Tigers coach in 1985, there was just one other occasion when they didn't participate in the SEC tournament. LSU didn't finish in the top eight in the overall standings in 2007 - Paul Mainieri's first season as coach. That team won just 30 games.

But, this edition of the Tigers has done enough to have itself considered for a NCAA tournament berth when the selection committee begins deliberations later this week.

This is no doubt that the SEC portion of the schedule has been a disappointment for LSU. Picked to win the West, the Tigers ended in a tie with Ole Miss for fifth place. For the second consecutive season, LSU lost more conference games than it won.

But, now the question at hand is simple. Do the Tigers deserve to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament? LSU has four impressive non-conference victories - three against Big West-leading Cal State Fullerton and one against Conference USA co-champion Southern Mississippi.

The SEC is considered to be the dominant league in college baseball. LSU (2009) and South Carolina (2010) have won the last two national titles. Georgia was the national runner-up in 2008.

Recall the Big East Conference had ten of its 16 teams participate in the NCAA basketball team earlier this year. The SEC in baseball is the equivalent of the Big East in basketball. Having at least nine SEC baseball teams in the 2011 NCAA tournament is not a stretch.

In the super-regional era which started in 1999, the SEC has had 91 teams participate in the NCAA tournament - an average of 7.6 teams per year. Three times - 2008, 2005 and 2004, nine SEC teams played in the NCAA tournament. Five other times, there were eight SEC teams in the national tourney.

It has been mentioned previously that on five occasions a SEC team received an at-large bid after not qualifying for the conference tournament. That's the route the Tigers must take now. Not until next Monday will LSU find out if it will take the playing field once again.

Four SEC teams are locks for the NCAA tournament - league tri-champions Florida, South Carolina and Vanderbilt and Western Division champion Arkansas. Now, there are six other teams who are on the NCAA tournament bubble.

Normally, qualifying for the SEC tournament means an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But, two teams find themselves in tenuous situations. Georgia, 16-14 in the SEC and with a 23 RPI, has a .500 overall record. Auburn, 14-16 in the SEC and with a 36 RPI, has a 29-27 record.

To be eligible for the NCAA tournament, a team must have a winning record. So, Georgia must win three games in Hoover. Therefore, the Bulldogs must advance to the tournament title game. Auburn cannot lose two straight games in Hoover in order to finish with a winning record.

It would certainly help LSU's cause if neither Georgia nor Auburn is eligible for the NCAA tournament. Tigers fans can certainly pull against Georgia and Auburn this week.

The other four teams on the bubble are Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss. LSU has a stronger body of work than the Rebels. LSU's resume is similar to that of the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide. It would be nice if both Mississippi State and Alabama have rather short stays at Regions Park.

So, Tigers fans should pull for four teams this week - South Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.

GEORGIA - overall: 28-28, SEC: 16-14, 9-4 against the other five bubble teams, 23 RPI

MISSISSIPPI STATE - overall: 34-21, SEC: 14-16, 8-8 against the other five bubble teams, 29 RPI

ALABAMA - overall: 32-24, SEC: 14-16, 7-7 against the other five bubble teams, 35 RPI

AUBURN - overall: 29-26, SEC: 14-16, 9-7 against the other five bubble teams, 36 RPI

LSU - overall: 36-20, SEC: 13-17, 7-8 against the other five bubble teams, 26 RPI

OLE MISS - overall: 30-25, SEC: 13-17, 5-11 against the other five bubble teams, 41 RPI