Written by Jason Kirk at SBNation.com
Amid 12 years that began with a game relocated by Hurricane Katrina, included the 2007 national championship and 113 other wins, and ended with an astounding loss at Auburn, LSU finally succeeded in firing Les Miles.
After a 2015 near-coup that instead saw him carried off the field in victory by his players, the story of LSU’s 2016 was clear: deliver on preseason No. 5 promise or bust. The roster was going to be too experienced and talented for anything less, and the frustrations of a stagnating offense and a growing gap between the Tigers and rival Alabama meant Miles’ job wouldn’t feel safe until he beat Nick Saban in Baton Rouge on Nov. 5.
Miles didn’t even make it that far. He and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron were canned after a 2-2 start, with experienced emergency-uncle Ed Orgeron taking over. The problems were the ones most frequently diagnosed by fans and media (and the ones I swore to myself would be resolved): an unimaginative offense, an embrace of late-game chaos that could spin out of even his control, and a failure to evolve.
That means in several ways, the sputtering end of the 18-13 Auburn loss was a microcosm of Miles’ five years since losing the 2011 BCS Championship against Saban. If it wasn’t time for the nationally beloved amateur poet to leave, it was clear enough that it would soon be time.
So now what, for LSU and for Miles?
The list of buzzed-about full-time candidates is as you’d expect.
It’s Houston’s Tom Herman and Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher (a former LSU offensive coordinator), along with Orgeron. Also, Art Briles’ people are interjecting the disgraced Baylor coach’s name into the news.
Everyone will fall in love with Orgeron again, if he wins, as he did as USC’s interim.
Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman suggests TCU’s Gary Patterson and North Carolina’s Larry Fedora; Alabama OC Lane Kiffin is the only member of the Nick Saban tree I’d ever like to see in a game against the master; and we’ve come full circle and should get back to including Bobby Petrino’s name in every rumor mill, just to be safe.
Once you make it through that group, you can just throw in whoever you want! Your ideas are just as good as those of most media folks, the author included. I think the funnest name to just fling into the mix would be Mark Richt’s. Wouldn’t that be weird? I didn’t start that rumor; I’m merely requesting that someone else do so.
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