If you are a hardcore College Football fan, you will have your eyes, ears, nose, heart, and soul peeled to the ticker anticipating the All-American dial of National Letter of Intent signing day. Every College Football geek will be at their wits end looking for their prospective studs to sign the bottom line, and at the least, offer their services for the next 3 years.
Recruting battles for the services of 'supreme' athletes have long been told, and have long been rumored. In the new age of the internet and free information, these stories have lost a bit of luster, but nontheless are very real, and very important.
So a little more than a week from now, the latest rage of College recruits will give their pledge to their school of choice. Are you excited?
You should be. If you follow College Footbal in any form or fashion. Why would you ask?
Great coaches such as Jimmy Johnson, Bobby Bowden, and Barry Switzer have long admitted that "great players make great teams". Even my alma mater's greatest coach of all-time, Tom Osborne, has admitted that "you cannot win without great athletes". With great players comes great success. We only have to look at the teams who have 'dominated' the recruiting ranks over the past 8 years to get a grasp on this very important day.
USC, LSU, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Oklahoma, Miami, Texas, and Ohio State (sorry if I missed your beloved University) have very much ruled the roost in recruiting in the 2000's. A simple look at the great teams in the 2000's also has a strong correlation on how these teams have fared on the field as well. Argue against this fact all you want, but you will be very long-winded in your approach.
The National Championship teams in the 2000's you ask?
2000: Oklahoma
2001: Miami
2002: Ohio State
2003: LSU, USC
2004: USC
2005: Texas
2006: Florida
2007: LSU
It isn't a coincidence that the best recruiting classes have had a nature of finishing on top. EVERY coach in the nation will tell you that recruiting is the "lifeblood" of ANY program. Good or bad.
Post 2002, Miami and Florida State have been the ODD exception. They have continued to recruit extremely well, but have yet to put that 'said' talent into motion. A likely disturbing fact for any Seminole or Cane fan to take a bitter pill that is likely tough to ####. Especially when you consider the amount of talent that they have put into the NFL over the past 5 years. (Ouch!)
So without any further introduction, who are the main players in this years National Lottery for the best talent to move their teams to the forefront? Not many names have changed, but some new additions shouldn't surprise anyone either. The best ranked classes are as such:
Rivals is the more respected recruiting service. There are others but Rivals and Scout have put forth the best services, and best recruiting information over the past 7or 8 years.
If you are not a fan of the teams above, shoud you be dismayed? NO! SImply look at the success of such teams as West Virginia, Rutgers, Kansas, and Missouri in the past couple of years. Recruiting isn't the end all, but looking at the numbers above it is pretty much an absolute if you want to compete for the ultimate prize. Success is always the 'beauty' in the eye of the beholder.
So........ you ask, who are the studs this year that a guy should look out for in the future? I'm glad you asked. I'll give you a breakdown of this year's CAN"T MISS guys, along with where they are going as well.
Terrelle Pryor - QB - Jeannette, PA - #1 Ranked QB - #1 Ranked prospect:- UNDECIDED: Terrelle is by far the most touted player in the class of 2008. Bar none. His performance in the Army All-American game left little doubt that this is a man amongst boys. The Vince Young comparisons are undeniable. He is 6' 6" and 235 lbs. AS A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL mind you. Rocket arm, and 4.4 speed only keep the comparison to Vince alive as well. Without a doubt, THE BEST player in the College Football Lottery this year. Schools of interest?: Florida, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State. WORD is it is down to Michigan, Oregon, and Ohio State. NOS says: Michigan wins this years lottery as Pryor heads to the U with the 'inventor' of the spread.
DeQuan Bowers - DE - Bamberg, SC - Best DE prospect in the country. College of Choice: Clemson. AT 6' 4" and 267 lbs already, this is a kid who will play immediately at the next level. Nickname: The Beast. What else needs to be said?
Julio Jones - WR - Foley, AL - WR - Supposedly the best WR in the country. This is my BIGGEST doubt of the entire class. On film this kid doesn't look all that amazingly fast. However, he does have a knack for making the big catch, and usually amongst a lot of traffic. I can't doubt the interest, but I am skeptical on the next level ability. Schools of Choice: UNDECIDED. Schools in the running: Alabama, Florda, Florida State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Where he will end up? Undoubtedly Alabama when all is said and done. Florida will make a hard push, but I see him wearing the Crimson and White for his home state and Nick Saban. Don't expect much Tide fans. I believe you'll be unimpressed. My vote for biggest bust.
Patrick Johnson - DB - Pompano Beach, FL - BIggest, most athletic, hardest hitting DB in the country this year. Kid has it all when it comes down to physical secondary talent. School of choice: LSU. Les Miles likely gets what I consider the 2nd best player in the country. HIs upside is unbelievable, and may end up being a #1 overall pick in the NFL draft . SERIOUSLY watch for this kid in the future.
Darrell Scott - RB - Ventura, CA - Immediately, you think this kid is going to USC right? NOPE. The best RB in the country is down to Colorado, Florida, LSU, and Texas. I say he will end up with Urban Meyer in Florida. Other rumors are, unbelievably, that he would end up in Colorado. Obviously the kid wants to play early. Thus the selection of colleges left. With the early NFL entry of Jamaal Charles at Texas, they have entered the game late. Whoever gets this kid, expect immediate results. At 6'0" and 204 lbs he may seem a bit undersized, but so was Knowshon Moreno. And this kid has a TON more talent.
Baker Steinkuhler - OL/DT - Lincoln, NE - My hometown. Great kid, and obviously stepping into his daddies shoes in heading to the University of Nebraska. The 1st 5 star talent in the history of Nebraska football. The kid dominated in the Army All-American game camps, on both Offense and Defense. Before the season started in the fall of 2007, this kid was barely on the top 200 radar. After the Army All-American game, he has leaped into the top 10. Nebraskans are simply hoping he can be half the player his 2 time All-American father was at Nebraska. If you dont' know who Dean Steinkuhler is, he was the guy who ran in the infamous 'fumblerooskie' against Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl.
AJ Green - WR - Summerville, SC - NOT SOLD. I've heard of too much talent coming out of SC lately since Spurrier has been around. Haven't seen much production. This kid has an incredible upside, but I'm not a big fan of his film. Looks to be very overrated to me. School of choice: Georgia. Not too mention, Georgia has a solid history of overrated WR talent. My vote for 2nd biggest bust. Practically I can feel comfortable in gving the top 2 ranked WR a bust mode. Over the years, they have been the most fallable.
Will Hill - ATH - Jersey City, NJ - Welcome to the Tim Tebow of this year's class. This kid screams winner. Through and through. Lacks a ton of flash, lacks a ton of speed, but when plays need to be done, this guy gets it done. Possibly my favorite player of the 2008 class. Undoubtedly, he will be Will "The Thrill" Hill when he dons a Gator jersey, and this kid has all the makings of another Percy Harvin, and maybe even better. Urban found a gem. At 6' 3" and 203 coming in, the kid has potential for a number of positions. Likely a WR as a Frosh, but the ceiling is unlimited for this kid. Maybe even a future spread QB, after Tebow leaves. The other side says, overrated. Maybe. But he will be a star on the Collegiate level. Maybe not the NFL.
Other Notables to look for:
Blaine Gabbert: QB - MISSOURI - # 3 ranked QB. Had to put him here, former Nebraska pledge switched to instate Missouri Tigers. Best arm in 2008, and at 6'5" and 225 already with 4.7 speed the kid has a ton of upside as well.
Nigel Bradham: LB - Florida State - Regardless of rankings, this MIGHT be the best player of anybody in the country. IF you remember Mike Singletary, this is the next best thing. Plus he has speed. When he comes to hit, he has some seriously BAD intentions. Scariest player of the group. If FSU can make him better, he may be the best of the best.
Jermie Calhoun: RB - Oklahoma - Forget Darrell Scott, and you have Jermie. Comparisons to Adrian Peterson are inevitible in Texas, but this kid is supposedly the 2nd coming. And yet again, he heads north to OU. Keep an eye on this talent in the years to come.
Michael Floyd: WR - Notre Dame - Best hands and best route running skills in the entire class. At 6' 4" he will fill an immediate impact role at WR for the Irish. A big reason to believe the Irish step up to 7 or more wins next year.
Boubacar Cissoko: DB - Michigan - Likely DB starter for Michigan when he steps on campus. He has decent speed, but his best credientials are his abilty to read WR's and react. Along with his unbelievable open field tackling ability. Immediate producer for RR at Michigan.
Tyron Smith: OL - USC - At 6' 5" and 260 pounds, it might not sound like he is ready. Neither was Kristofer O'Dowd last year at about the same measurements. Might need a year, but this will likely be the next dominant OL in USC lore.
Andrew Luck: QB - Stanford - Why does Stanford get so many good QB's? The Elway legend continues, as well as the ultimatum of a quality education. This IS the most accurate passer of the entire bunch. Stanford got the steal of all steals. If I were to honestly rate them, Andrew would be the #1 NFL QB, and Terrrelle would be the best. You can take your opinion from there.
Brice Butler: WR - USC - Kid out of Georgia looks to be the real deal. Not the biggest WR at 6' 2" but this kid seems like a steal. If you can call him that, for USC. Incrdible pickup for Pete and company from Georgia.
JB Shugarts: OL 0 Ohio State - This kid will be an animal. Already is. Undervalued at 6' 7" and 299 pounds. He will be a stalwart in the legendary history of Ohio State lineman. Will be a great one, I have no doubts.
The next best star? He is actually named Star. Star Jackson from Lake Worth, FL. He is going to........ yes Nick Saban and Alabama. He impressed big time in the Army All-American game, and will LIKELY start next year for the Tide. WOW, can Nick recruit. My biggest sleeper to watch for in 2008 is Star Jackson. He will get every chance to play at Alabama next year.
That is the recruting breakdown, from your friendly College Football geek. Good, bad, or indifferent.
Only 1 week left on your shopping calendar. I'll take a Hummer. And no, not the one I got in Vegas last year. I prefer one without the gold grill and racing stripes, please.
Time to really break it down. The best of the best, the mano y mano. The King of Kings. Heck lets get on with it. Who will win?
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee (- 3): You can't spell shut out without UT. Much less the Outback Bowl. Wisconsin is spectacular in bowl games. UT isn't. Sorry Vol fans, I have to side with the much maligned Badgers. Take Wiscy in the upset.
Cotton Bowl: Arkansas vs. Missouri (-3): Most people will be lead to believe that this will be a shoot-out. I very much beg to differ. The Cotton Bowl has traditionally, for some reason, been a tight, low-scoring affair. If that is the case, I'll side with the team that doesn't belong here. Arkansas. Another dog, and another Nos upset special.
Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida (-10): Michigan can't cover the spread, let alone a spread offense, right? Looks WAY TOO easy to take Florida, right? Exactly. Take the team with something to prove. That team is Michigan. They are not as slow as everybody even comes close to imagining. Michigan WILL cover, and might even pull off the shocker as well. Of course I may be drunker than Paris Hilton right now as well.
Gator Bowl: Virgina vs. Texas Tech (-5 1/2): A team that was a half away from the ACC Championship takes on a 7th or 8th best team in the Big 12? The Big 12 team is favored? Why? This will be a pretty good game actually. Good defense against good offense. Me? I'll take great Defense everytime. Look for Howie Long's son to create some serious havoc for the Red Raiders. Not a big fan of it, but I'll side with the dog again in the Hoos.
Rose Bowl: Illinois vs. USC (- 13 1/2): Big number. Especially when considering two teams who really like to grind it out on the offensive side of the ball. On the other hand, I just don't see Mendenhall and Juice getting much running room. Which means Juice has to make this close with his arm. I don't like his chances of doing that. USC is the most versatile team in the country. And when push comes to shove, they would rather you line it up right at them. And that is exactly what Illinois will give them. The Illini are getting better, but this is a monumental task for them to overcome. Especially in USC's backyard. Lay the 13 1/2, and take the Trojans in a 35 - 13 final.
Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma (- 7): It was - 7 before Rodriguez quit. Likely to move to 10 or more very soon. Vegas already told you the outcome on this one. The Sooner offense looks to be too dynamic for the new and improved Mountaineer defense. The big question is, whether WVU can score with OU. A question they have not been often asked. With the departure of Rodriguez, I don't know if this team rallies, or quits. I'll side with quits. I believe that RR was the heart and soul of this team, and will be a great addition at Michigan. Without a doubt, the best hire in the 'off-season' was made by Michigan. Thus I'll side with OU to cover comfortably in a romp. Not too mention, if you want to stop the spread you need solid DE's and LB's. Oklahoma has that. And then some.
Sugar Bowl: Hawaii vs. Georgia: (- 9): Isn't this the same number OU was favored by? Oh, that' s right it was 11. Colt is pretty good. Not great. Georgia's defense will be the most physical Hawaii has seen all year. Especially when they start subbing on the offensive and defensive lines. Plus Georgia will have the most speed AND size Hawaii has EVER seen. June Jones said he was scared in warm-ups against Washington? A team that is DEAD LAST in the Pac 10? Sorry Hawaii, Boise State's Fiesta miracle ends here. After Boise State last year, you will NOT be taken lightly. What WILL happen is you will be EXPOSED. This is the NOS guaranteed laugher of the bowl season. Knowhshon Moreno and Thomas Brown will combine for OVER 400 yards rushing, and the final score will be somewhere around 52 - 13. In the wake will be Colt's NFL chances as well. Nope. He doesn't play in a system offense........................................... ................ok.
Orange Bowl: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech (-4): Interesting. I'm banking on the ENTIRE world taking Va Tech in this one. Seems too logical. ON second hand the OVER/UNDER should be about 8. My play on this one is definitely the under. For the game? I'm not sold on either team. Which means it will likely be a classic. Remember the field goal battle with Penn State and Florida State a few years ago, when Posluszny went down with a knee injury? Likely, this one will mess up my winning bowl pool entry. Then again I won't be in it anyway. When in doubt take the dog. RIght? Then again take the proven commodity in a bowl game. I'll go wth Va Tech. Actually I will. IN THE NOS #1 BOWL GAME LAUGHER. THE NOS PLAY OF THE BOWL SEASON.
BCS CHAMPIOSHIP: Ohio State vs. LSU ( - 5): Speed, speed, speed. Right? As long as you hear it from the media and SEC fans. The Buckeyes are NOT slow. And the Sweatervest will have some things up his sleeve to stop a supremely inefficient Tiger offense. I FULLY expect Ohio State to come out and PUNCH LSU in the mouth from the get go. IT will be game on from the beginning. LSU will be VERY much surprised in the athleticism and SPEED of the Buckeyes. In particular a man called Vernon Gholston. A MAN-CHILD. He will be in the LSU backfield all night. They will also be overwhelmed by the physicality of the OSU line, and Beanie Wells WILL run for over 130 yards. Ohio State Will be the best offensive line that LSU has faced all year. BAR NONE. Question is, how will Glenn Dorsey respond? I'm VERY sure the public will be surprised on that one as well. No, it is not 2002, but I look for Ohio State to pull the outright upset.
First and foremost if Sylvester Croom makes it through the season as the head coach for Mississippi State it will be one of the most amazing feats in this years youthful College Football season.
Mr. Croom is in his 4th season since inheriting the position at MSU, and quite frankly the program may be in worse shape than when he arrived. That is pretty rueful considering MSU was off of a 2-10 campaign when he arrived in Starkville, and gave up an astonishing 39.3 points per game. In his short 4 year stint in Starkville, I'm not sure that they are any better, and for all intensive purposes might actually be worse. The future for Sylvester and the bulldogs looks very bleak to say the least.
As for LSU, they did what they were supposed to do. Win in convincing fashion against an inferior oppoent, and keep all of their players healthy at the same time.
Let me add, that LSU is my 2nd favorite team in the country of College Football. I may have some homeristic tendencies in my perception of this game, but when you add it all up, LSU looks to be every bit as good as advertised.
The stats from the game are as such. LSU outyarded the Bulldogs 347 to 146 while holding MSU to 10 yards rushing. LSU caused 7 turnovers, and did not have any themselves. They were constantly applying pressure to Mike Henig, lulling him into a dreadful 6 interception outing. They were able to post these dominant stats despite playing as vanilla a defense as one can play. Rarely did they blitz, and were able to apply pressure with their front 4 all night. The only real threat from MSU, Tony Burks, was held in check with only 1 reception for 45 yards. That play coincidentally, made up nearly a third of MSU's entire offensive production.
The real concern that LSU takes out of this game is the questionable play of QB Matt Flynn. He pretty much had all night in the pocket to throw passes to one of the best WR corps in the country. His lack of quick decision making, and crisp timely passes is a bit of a red flag. In fact, I would venture to guess that Ryan Perilloux looked to be the more mature and confident signal caller. He also has an immense amount of physical tools that far outweigh anything that Mr. Flynn has to offer. I'll be surprised if Ryan is not the starter come week 5.
Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, and Richard Murphy all look to have breakout ability this season, and Jacob Hester is a very nice battering ram to add into the mix as well. Charles Scott looks like he could be something really special. This looks to be one of the best RB units in the country, and are extremely deep with productive talent.
Early Doucet is everything as advertised, and looks to be on the brink of a monster year. He is Percy Harvin, but is 2 years older and more mature. It looks extremely obvious that LSU is going to do everything that they can to get the ball in this playmakers hands. Brandon LaFell also looks to be the next great wideout from LSU, and wil fill the shoes of the departed Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis very nicely.
The defense was simply stalwart. They played a vanilla 4-3 set all night, and rarely blitzed, while keeping MSU in disarray all night. Anytime you shut someone out on their home field you have to be impressed. Glenn Dorsey is simply a beast, and Ali Highsmith is a playmaker at linebacker. This is obviously one of the best stop units in the country, and will be the calling card of this years Tiger squad. If Bo Pelini can manage to not mess up this talented defense, they have a chance of being a very special unit this year.
All in all, we got what we expected, and LSU comes out of Starkville with a resounding W. Next up: Virginia Tech. Without a doubt Virginia Tech will be a stern test, as they will bring in one of the best defenses in the country as well. And LSU needs better production out of their signal caller since the Hokies have one of the best run-stopping units in the country.
As long as the Tigers can continue to create turnovers, and limit offensive mistakes, they can play with anybody in the country. My main concern will be the QB. They will need to have someone make plays from this position, and it does not look good that Mr. Flynn will be that guy. If they can get Mr. Perilloux up to speed in a hurry, then they definitely have the makings of a team that can make a National Title run.
As always, good luck to you and yours, and best of luck to your squad in 2007.
A few weeks ago Mr. Les Miles, the head coach for Louisiana State University's football team, made some comments on WWL radio in New Orleans. Some of the comments he made are as follows:
"I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel. They're going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford - some real juggernauts - and they're going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they'll end up in the title [game].
"I would like that path for us. I think the SEC provides much stiffer competition."
"The Big 12 is a conference that might have two really pretty good teams, maybe four. I think the Pac-10 may have one or two really good ones. The ACC certainly, arguably, has some quality teams.
"I don't think there's any conference out there that has as many quality teams as ours."
Really?
I applaud Mr. Miles for making such career-limiting and controversial evaluations of fellow BCS conference members in the Pac 10 and the Big 12. In most part, he is probably correct. Outside of USC, the Pac 10 hasn't had any other team that can compete on a national championship level since the Joey Harrington Oregon days and Washington's late 80's and early 90's teams. The Big 12, over the past 5 years, has only had Texas and Oklahoma to carry the banner on a national level as well.
But my question for you Mr. Miles is: Why now? Why this year?
I'll take a couple of stabs at his true convictions that he is making in these comments, and then provide some introspect into Mr. Miles coaching career.
Why now? Why this year?: Most likely we will see Mr. Miles Tiger's as being ranked in the top 2 in just about every College Football poll in the country. There is no doubt that this is a good team coming into this year, and has the talent to end up in this years National Championship game. But one has to seriously question why Mr. Miles would come out before the season starts and make such brash comments about other schools and conferences that will likely be competing for the same lucrative prize. Is Mr. Miles simply setting the stage for when his Tigers get beat this season, that he will have convinced the pollsters, voters, writers, etc. that a 1 loss SEC team is as good, if not better than a 0 loss Pac 10 or Big 12 team? Who knows, but one really has to question his intentions of making such comments.
Mr. Miles is bringing into question the 'power' of the schedules of teams that play in these two conferences. And most vividly the schedule that lays in front of USC. Hmmmm...... Let us take a look at these schdules for 2007. There are rankings out for 2007, about who plays the toughest schedule. I'll give a few of these 'experts' opinions.
Phil Steele has 8 Pac 10 schools ranked with his toughest schedules for 2007. Yep that is correct, the top 8 toughest schedules by Phil Steele are as such: Washington, USC, Washington State, Arizona, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon State, and California. Oregon and Arizona State also rank in his top 15 as well. Where is LSU's schedule rank according to Mr. Steele? 52nd. And just to let you know, Mr. Steele's magazine has been the best predictor of College Football over the past 8 years when compared to other pre-season magazines. http://www.stassen.com/preseason/review/
The next question I have for Mr. Miles is this: What have you done, that deserves any merit for calling out any other school, let alone conference?
Mr. Miles head coaching career started at Oklahoma State University back in the year 2001. The Cowboys were 3-8 in the previous season under the tutelage of Bob Simmons and were in a downward spiral since Pat Jones left after the 1994 season. Mr. Miles did some nice things while at Oklahoma State. In his four years at OSU he compiled regular season records of 4-7, 7-5, 9-3, and 7-4. His overall record at OSU was 28-21. Not bad when considering he came to a school with a record of 3-8 prior to his arrival. Les also held two victories over the Cowboys bitter rival Oklahoma Sooners during his 4 year stint in Stillwater. However, he also had some low points as well. His Cowboys were 3-12 against ranked opponents, and they never played in the Big 12 Championship game. Some of his defeats included scores such as 9-44, 9-52, 16-55, 35-56, 17-45, and 7-33.
My most vivid memory of Mr. Miles and his coaching career at Oklahoma State was when they visited Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE in 2003. They were preseason ranked 24th in the country, and Nebraska was in the midst of a lame-duck coach in Frank Solich's last year at the reins. Oklahoma State brought in one of the most talented offenses in the country, and were expected to lay about 35 points on the 'Skers in Lincoln that year. Josh Fields, Tatum Bell, Rashaun Woods, and D'Juan Woods posted a dismal 7 points in route to a 17-7 loss in Lincoln. That was one of the worst coaching performances I have ever witnessed. And was the only time I honestly remember that Frank Solich outcoached a better team in a victory. OSU went on to average over 35 points a game that year, and ended up in the Cotton Bowl.
No doubt Mr. Mile's was hired by LSU due to his scintillating victories over their Bedlam Series rivals Oklahoma. If he was hired for any other reason, i'm just not getting it.
Now, lets take a look at what Mr. Miles has done since his arrival on campus at Baton Rouge. His record is a spectacular 22-4. But I still question his ability to lead one of College Football's powerhouse Universities. His 1st two years can easily be given to the incredible recruiting job that Nick Saban did while he was at LSU. In Mr. Mile's 1st recruiting class he continued that strong tradition with a 3rd ranked class, (according to rivals.com) with such future stars as DeAngelo Benton, Ron Brooks, Chad Jones, Jarrett Lee, and Terrance Tolliver. My question is, what will he do with that talent?
During the 2005 season, LSU had a 21-0 halftime lead over conference rival Tennessee in their 1st conference game of the season. This was a night game in Baton Rouge. Probably the toughest place to play in all of college football. The result? A 30-27 OT victory by Tennessee, in one of the biggest meltdowns in LSU history. This during a year in which Tennessee struggled to a 5-6 record and averaged a shoddy 18.6 ppg in offense. However, LSU gave up 30 points in one half of football. They then played Georgia in the SEC championship game, and were embarrassed with a 34-14 shellacking at the hands of the bulldogs.
Last year, I'll point out a couple of games that should bring to question Mr. Miles coaching abilities. In a 7-3 loss to Auburn in the 3rd game of the season, the LSU Tigers outgained Auburn by a sum of 331 total yards to 152. They also held a +1 turnover margin. How does a team lose with those kinds of statitistics in their favor?
The next game from 2006 that sticks out like a sore thumb is the Arkansas game. Heralding the 2nd best rush defense in the SEC (Florida #1), the Tigers gave up 298 yards rushing to the Hogs. But Arkansas had a spectacular rushing team last year you argue? Yes, they did. But that same Arkansas team did not rush for more yards than 298 yards against ANY other SEC opponent all of last year. Arkansas averaged 229 yards per game on the ground last year. The only schools that gave up more yardage rushing to Arkansas were SE Missouri State and the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Even Utah State didn't get gashed for 298 yards of rushing offense against Arkansas. This, while only giving up 5 of 20 passing completions for a paltry 62 yards. With such a 1-dimensional offense, how could Miles and his crack staff not come up with a scheme to stop these guys? Alabama, Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Florida found ways to slow these guys down, and you had one of the best and most talented defenses to work with.
I give big congratulations for Mr. Miles and his staff for their dominating bowl victories over the last two years. As I thouroughly enjoyed the whippings his boys put on Miami and Notre Dame. However, as I have pointed out, there still have to be some question marks as to the true merit of Mr. Miles coaching abilities. And now he has the wherewithall to call out 19 other schools?
Now the question remains. Why would a guy call out two other conferences before the season has even started? Not only is he committing coaching suicide, but he is also creating bulletin board material for schools that not only play against his squad, but any SEC team for that matter. One truly has to question the character, class, and tact of a man that makes such comments, while holding such a distinguished position within his profession. And these comments coming from a guy who hasn't even won a conference championship.
By the way, Pete Carrol responded to Mr. Miles comments in the Los Angeles Daily News:
"He's really taking a shot at all the other schools we play. Maybe the comments should come from the coaches at the other schools, including Charlie (Weis) at Notre Dame. He didn't slam us. He slammed all the other schools we play."
Well Mr. Miles, let Mr. Carrol's response be a lesson in class, and how a college coach of a major university should conduct himself. Don't embarrass yourself, your school, your family, and your players with comments becoming of an 8th grader. LSU is my 2nd favorite College Football program, and I am appalled and embarrassed for Mr. Miles and his comments.
Rumors are abound that Les Miles will eventually end up coaching at Michigan. There are some calling for Lloyd Carr to retire after this year and for Mr. Miles to step into his place. If Mr. Miles does not end up at Michigan, and eventually gets 'let go' at LSU, he has severely limited his options of coaching College Football for the rest of his life. He has eliminated 22 of the 65 BCS confernce schools from ever thinking of hiring him in the future.
Here's hoping LSU and USC meet in this years College Football championship game. And we get to see this rivalry once and for all settled on the field. Then, and only then, will the talk of which team is better be resolved. Until then, Mr. Miles, keep your comments to yourself, play some football, and hold up to your end of the bargain. I'm sure Mr. Carrol would be happy to play you, in your backyard of New Orleans on January 7th, 2008.
Will Les Miles become a great college football coach? It remains to be seen, he has only done it for 6 years thus far. Interesting stuff, from a guy who is fairly new to head coaching at the highest of College Football levels. And now he has called out some of the most prestigious college football schools in all of NCAA Division I College Football. Actions speak louder than words Mr. Miles. Now it is time for you to act.
