Miles' Acid Test

Posted on 8/20/10 at 2:44 pm

Posted by Chris Warner

Perdido Bay

Member since Jan 2009

5575 posts

Posted on 8/20/10 at 2:44 pm

2010 has been a year of extremes. An unseasonably cold winter was followed by an even bigger Deep South anomaly-a gorgeous spring that brought the distant, cooler, less humid temperatures of earlier years. This breath of fresh air was of course eventually spoiled by the normal summer swelter; but prior to that, the largest environmental disaster in American history-the BP gulf oil spill, which brought more regional pain, strife and economic hardship than any recorded dismal weather pattern.

As the seasonal cycle progresses toward the inevitable cooler fall temperatures, we are again reminded of nature's miraculous, unshakeable power over our lives, and the veritable extremes she regularly exacts on humankind. In this same vein, college football has a similar impact. As the season makes its approach, we anticipate the unique enjoyment it always brings to those who think and passionately feel. And like its irrevocable natural, counterpart, college football season ushers in that time of year when the leaves begin to change color, and the youthful partisan spirit within us all crackles like the kindling of a well-planned winter fire.

In this exclusive piece for TigerDroppings.com, the SEC's most favored and visited website for college football fanatics with an Internet connection, a mouse, and hopefully a discerning conscience, we'll exact our take on the Bo Schembechler apprentice, economics major and former college wrestler who now holds one of the country's most attractive college football coaching jobs, and more importantly-- why realistically this season is his most important with respect to ever-changing media and fan perception.

So check your junk. Yeah! You heard right! Buy a new jockstrap! Tighten your chin strap! College football is two weeks away! Are you ready? Think about it, boys! Get your game on! The Time is upon us! Are you ready for some football?

The Grass is Always Greener

LSU head football coach Les Miles is an extreme coaching example. Despite possessing the best winning percentage of any previous LSU Football coach, there are nonetheless Tiger fans who wish he would bolt yesterday for his Michigan college home. The media, in all its commercial glory, has dutifully picked up on this odd sentimental trend and exploited it for their gain, and of course for the advantage of their most favored teams. For Miles, the last two seasons have been his most difficult. As a result, the pressure to win more has become omnipresent. There are those that say he must win ten games to reclaim his budding popularity.

The 2007 BCS National Championship crystal ball kept safely under lock and key for public viewing in the LSU Athletic Administration building shines just as bright as the most recently acquired one kept in a similar state at the University of Alabama campus. While Les Miles' detractors, the faux LSU fans we'll label them, would like you to believe otherwise-that the 2007 two-loss national championship season was a complete fluke or even an apparition--it happened, nonetheless; and history for posterity records that he gets the credit. No amount of spinning, criticizing or whining can reverse this. It is a moot point.

When Urban Meyer won his first national championship at Florida it was not once attributed to his predecessor's recruiting (except by me of course in an effort to point out the specious logic employed to validate such a statement). Les Miles may admittedly have trouble counting backwards (see Ole Miss a year ago), but in retrospect he lost only two games a year ago that he should not have-Ole Miss and Penn State. The Alabama and Florida losses were aptly predicted. The Tigers were supposed to lose. Furthermore, if one wanted to get petty, he or she could make a strong case that the Penn State game was lost because of the Florida weather. A wet track probably neutralized LSU's speed advantage in the bowl game.

2010 marks the Ohio native's sixth year in Baton Rouge, meaning that his tenure as head coach is now longer than his seemingly-immortal predecessor. Coming off two disenchanting, post-national championship seasons in 2008 and 2009 where his team struggled to regain their championship swagger, this season is undoubtedly Miles' acid test-the year in which his ultimate worth to the Tiger nation will be proved.

I've thought much about Miles' tarnished reputation. It is not unlike a man who loses a beautiful woman-one that he loved. She is the one that got away. He never forgets her-ever. He moves on and so does she. He has success, she struggles. He loves it. He basks in his glory while equally enjoying her misfortune. However, things change. She makes a comeback-an amazing one, and in the process, she steals his thunder. Despite having moved on to another, his repeated thoughts of her drive him mad. In the case of this analogy-Saban is the woman and certain members of the media and the LSU fan base are the man. Nevertheless, it's time for everyone to get over themselves and move on.

No Thank You for the Victories

Les Miles is perhaps the most hated winner in sports. Last year his team with a first-year starter at quarterback finished third in the nation's toughest football conference, bettering nine other ultra-competitive conference clubs, losing to the league's first and second-place teams, the game's most prolific winner in history in Joe Paterno, and disappointingly, to Ole Miss. Of those, the Rebel debacle was obviously the biggest season transgression, and is definitely the sour note for legions of Tiger fans pining for another National Championship. Nevertheless, there is an old adage in football that says that every time you start an inexperienced quarterback you lose at least two games you otherwise should not. Last year, one could also argue that those two games were Ole Miss and Penn State. 2009 wasn't LSU's year to win the league. Tim Tebow was a senior and Alabama was loaded for bear and hell-bent on championship success. This year, things will be different, and for Miles, the season outcome most importantly must be. He preferably needs a victory over Alabama or Florida; or his approval rating, like the country's leftist leader, could dip well below the fifty percent mark.

An Honest Perspective

The complexion of the SEC has changed drastically over the last five years. After investing heavily in new facilities and coaches, Florida and Alabama have emerged as perennial league powers, bringing a new world order to the nation's most competitive conference and more importantly-the rest of the country. The SEC has become so powerful in terms of the national college football landscape that the SEC Championship has seemingly morphed into the national championship semi-final. Moreover, there is more than idle talk of creating "super conferences" to try and divide and conquer the dynastic league and rob it of its staying power as the unique American sport's standard bearer. The Big Ten recently added Nebraska in an effort to improve its waning chances of claiming the coveted crystal ball. There is even conjecture that Texas A&M might soon bolt from the Big 12 for the SEC's greener pastures. In short, everyone wants a piece of the successful, lucrative and tradition-rich Southeastern Conference. It's a proven winner.

When you are at the top everyone wants to take you down and take your place. Competition breeds excellence; and that's exactly what has happened in the SEC. I've been closely following and writing about the Southeastern Conference for over a decade and I don't think I've ever seen the league this powerful. From top to bottom it boasts incredible coaches and players-trendsetting minds and athletes who continue to se