Miles won't say "adieu" to the Bayou!!

For some who apparently likes to eat grass, the turf in Ann Arbor didn't look that much greener.  For the second time in three years, Les Miles turned down an offer to coach his alma mater.

It was reported that Miles would accept the job if it were offered to him, but as we have now found out, that is not the case.  I'm sure Michigan were willing to break the bank to bring back one of their own.  Miles played for the legendary Bo Schembechler and even worked as an assistant coach for both Bo and Gary Moeller.  That would surely make him Michigan Man, right?

Here's an interesting fact to ponder, maybe some trivia if you may.  Les Miles has recorded as many wins over Ohio State as Michigan since 2001; one!!  This came courtesy of a 38-24 win over the Buckeyes in the 2007 BCS title game.  Consider yourself guidanced (I borrowed that line).

Who's that guy next to Bo?

In my opinion, I think Les Miles made a good decision to stay in Baton Rouge.  Louisiana is a state that is full of talent and unlike states such as Florida, Texas, California and Pennsylvania; LSU doesn't have a "big-time" in-state rival, which means that he will get the best players year in and year out.  The number of top rated recruiting classes he has brought in during his time at the Bayou will serve as evidence.

At Michigan, he would have to fight Ohio State for talent in Ohio, Penn State for talent in Pennsylvania, Michigan State for in-state talent, Illinois for talent in that state, Virginia Tech and Virginia for their talent and so on.  We also know what would happen if losses to Ohio State keep mounting.  Michigan fans might not want to admit it, but Ohio State have OWNED the Wolverines in this decade; that's just real talk.

Michigan are in a "win-now" mode.  They want results right now and there is no doubt that Miles can deliver.  He is in his 10th season as a head coach and he has proven that he can beat the big boys.  In 2001, he led a 3-7 Oklahoma State team to an upset victory over Oklahoma, the defending national champion.  He compiled a 28-21 record during his time in Stillwater, which was highlighted by 3 consecutive winning seasons and 3 straight bowl games.  Oklahoma State had not enjoyed that much success since the 1980's.  And even though Cowboy nation might try and deny, Les Miles kick-started the run of success that has trickled over into the Mike Gundy era.  And that is how, as Les Miles would say, you let 'er rip!!

The Mad Hatter with the mad bling

When Nick Saban left the Bayou for South Beach after the 2004 season, Les Miles took over the program and continued to win.  In six seasons, he's led LSU to: four 10-win seasons, at least 13 wins over ranked teams, 2 SEC title games (including a win in 2007) and a 5-1 record in bowl games; starting with a 40-3 massacre of Miami in the 2005 Peach Bowl (Miami hasn't quite been the same since), through the 2007 national title, and a Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M (LSU's first since 1966).

While you can question his clock management skills (don't even get me started), the one thing you can't questions is his ability to recruit, coach and win.  At LSU, he's in a much better position to contend for and win a national championship, than at Michigan.  No disrespect to Michigan, but the man has a good thing going on at LSU and I don't know that many people who would want to trade in a good situation for a supposedly "better" one.  Actually, I do; Rich Rodriguez (see my article Coach, interrupted, which talks about how in three seasons, he turned Michigan from a storied program into a Big Ten punching bag).

So the next time Les Miles feels like chomping the turf at Tiger Stadium, you can at least be assured he knows that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.