LSU Should have Stuck with Les Miles

LSU longtime coach Les Miles on Sunday after the Tigers lost to Auburn 18-13, after the apparent game winning touchdown was called back for the snap taking place after time expired.  Miles had been the head coach at LSU since 2005 and compiled a record of 114-34, which amounts to an average of a little over 10 wins a season.  Miles also won a national championship, and played for another, while winning 2 SEC titles.  The Tigers never won less than 8 games, and only won 8 games twice in his tenure, but had 7 seasons of double digit wins.  He is undoubtedly the most successful coach they have ever had in Baton Rouge.  But it still wasn’t enough to keep his job.

Les Miles was fired because he was able to set expectations so high at LSU, they were unattainable.  He was so successful early in his tenure, that two going two seasons without double digit wins, and a 2-2 start was enough to get rid of him.  Miles team had finished 17^th last year in the final polls, and LSU is likely to finish ranked, or close to it at the end of this year.  However, this is the new era of college football were if you are not on your way up and competing for national titles every year, then you are competing for your job.  Head coaches have almost no margin for error anymore, even those who have been there for 11 years, and have won national titles.  This is due in large part to the success of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.  Saban and Meyer have won 9 out of the last 13 national championships.  Their teams have been in contention almost every year they have not won.  They set the expectations that any coach at a top football program should come close to winning it all every year.  However, this is unreasonable.  Even these coaches have down years.  Saban went 7-6 his first year with Alabama.  Urban Meyer went 8-5 his last year at Florida and left a team that was in shambles.  These are two of the best coaches of all time at top tier programs, and even they have years they struggle.

The major thing to worry about if you are LSU is will they follow some of the other recent major programs to fire a successful head coach struggled for years after they let their coach go.  Nebraska let go of Frank Solich in 2003 even though he won 3 conference titles in 6 years.  They have yet to win another.  Tennessee got rid of Phillip Fulmer in 2008 one season after he won 10 games.  Tennessee has yet to win that many since he was fired, and they only have 1 season of over 7 wins.  Hopefully for LSU they do not follow this pattern.