![]() ![]() Firing the very good guy is not a panacea that cures all ills. It's not an illegitimate criticism, but college football history is littered with the wreckage of programs that fired a guy for being very good but not great. And this current level of success doesn't look so great anymore. LSU is a successful program, but the problem is that it was more successful just five years ago. The problem for Miles' detractors is that this is what success looks like. LSU being the clear second best program in the SEC West does nothing to assuage the "Second place is the first loser" crowd. There is no more toxic philosophy in sport than the championship-or-bust mantra that has taken hold in the past two decades. That's what elite looks like, and LSU is no longer on that tier. While LSU is currently 19-11 over the past four years, Bama is 27-4. Now, if the problem is "failing to be elite", then there is a case there. That simply does not fit the definition of "mediocre." Find another word. LSU also has the best record over the past three years. That's the second best record in the division since the most recent SEC expansion. The only other West program which can make that claim is Alabama, while the other five programs have all had at least one sub-.500 SEC season within the past three seasons.Įven if we assume LSU loses out, that puts LSU at 19-13 over the past four years in the SEC. LSU has not had a losing season in conference play since 2008. 500 in conference likely is, but let's put LSU's performance in context of the division. Losing to Alabama is not "mediocre." Going. The term "mediocrity" gets thrown around a lot in these debates, so let's define the term:ġ. The disconnect between Miles' most virulent critics and his supporters is the definition of success and mediocrity. 500 seasons in conference play does not cut it. Reasonable fans don't demand a title every year, but they do demand this program play meaningful football late in the season. However, consecutive 4-4 SEC seasons would be an undeniable sign of decline, and a manifestation of the malaise that has infected the program since the Game That Shall Not Be Mentioned. It's a sign of success that this qualifies as a catastrophe. After the voluminous success Miles has achieved here, he was certainly entitled to a bad season like last year, especially considering that a "bad season" around these parts now means going 4-4 in the SEC. In that scenario, Miles will have completed his two worst seasons at LSU. And it's not like there isn't a case to fire Miles if he loses to Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The complaints are coming from all corners, and they are louder than ever. This isn't just coming from the same crowd that has had their knives drawn for so long that the blade has dulled. Heck, Miles won a national title and it barely even slowed his critics down.īut this time feels different. No amount of winning is ever going to satisfy them. There has been a large and vocal contingent calling for Les Miles' head ever since 2005. You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and there is gale blowing through the LSU football program. There's not a single quote, anonymous or otherwise, to back up the story. There's not even a reference to #SOURCES. If you are scoring at home, that is precisely zero quotes to back up the story. Word is the big-money folks will mass to help pay his buyout before rushing to Miles' defense, though talk traditionally is cheaper than actually writing a check. His cultivation of those relationships has been wanting, especially for someone who has won as much as Miles has. Off the field, one would be hard pressed to find major boosters, big financial supporters of the program, who are in Miles' corner. Pair that with habitual problems with penalties, delay of game issues, and this year's special teams breakdowns, and it's a recipe for dissatisfaction, on the verge of changing over to apathy. LSU supporters have grown tired of what looks most of the time like a conservative offensive approach. The worst kind of rumor is the one that you feel in your bones to be true before anyone ever even verbalizes it.
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