Les Miles

Year	School	Record	Bowl
2001	Oklahoma State	4-7
2002	Oklahoma State	8-5
2003	Oklahoma State	9-4
2004	Oklahoma State	7-5
2005	LSU	11-2
2006	LSU	11-2
2007	LSU	12-2
Career		62-27	.697
	LSU	34-6	.850

2008 SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Location	2008 CHS Prediction
8/30/08	Appalachian State	Baton Rouge, LA	W
9/06/08	Troy	Baton Rouge, LA	W
9/13/08	North Texas	Baton Rouge, LA	W
9/20/08	at Auburn	Auburn, AL	L
9/27/08	Mississippi State	Baton Rouge, LA	W
10/11/08	at Florida	Gainesville, FL	L
10/18/08	at South Carolina	Columbia, SC	W
10/25/08	Georgia	Baton Rouge, LA	W
11/01/08	Tulane	Baton Rouge, LA	W
11/08/08	Alabama	Baton Rouge, LA	W
11/22/08	Ole Miss	Baton Rouge, LA	W
11/28/08	at Arkansas	Little Rock, AR	W

	Coaches Hot Seat Prediction		10-2

Coaches Hot Seat Analysis

We here at Coaches Hot Seat decided to wait to do our prediction on Les Miles and LSU for 2008 until Ryan Perrilloux was tossed off the LSU team, and yes we were very confident that Perrilloux was not going to suit up for LSU in the fall. The over/under on Perrilloux's dismissal at Coaches Hot Seat was June 1, and he was dismissed from the team almost 30 days before even that date. Just amazing how a kid like Perrilloux can just throw away his career and the potential for millions of dollars in the NFL, but at least Perrilloux can be comforted in the fact that he is not the only idiot in this country of ours. Even without Perrilloux on the roster, LSU has as much a talent as any team they will play in '08, and if they can get even average/non-turnover QB play, they can be right back in the hunt for the SEC West.

Getting back to Les Miles and the LSU Tigers, we believe that one cannot understand Miles without understanding Bo Schembechler. Of course, one cannot understand Bo Schembechler without understanding Woody Hayes, and that takes us to a terrific show that aired on HBO last fall, The Rivalry. We here at Coaches Hot Seat have attended the Michigan-Ohio State game, some of us had the opportunity to meet both Coach Schembechler and Coach Hayes, and we thought we understood the rivalry between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, but it took The Rivalry to really bring home the dynamics in play in that great football series. In relation to Les Miles, it was fascinating to see Bo Schembechler during his prime in the 1970s, and for anyone that was startled to see in person Les Miles come into that press conference in Atlanta last December to announce that he was not going to Michigan and that he was going to remain as the LSU coach, it was very easy to see where Miles got his coaching style and approach to life from. That would be one Bo Schembechler. When Les Miles entered the press conference in Atlanta last December to make his announcement on his future it was like a bull entering a bullfight. No, not the bullfighter, but the bull, which was so terrifically described in one of Ernest Hemingway's best books, The Sun Also Rises. Bo Schembechler was a bull in the football arena, just like his mentor Woody Hayes was, and Les Miles is cut from the very same cloth. That Les Miles is a throwback to another era is why we believe he is so undervalued by many people in the media, and why Miles' 34-6 record at LSU is so surprising to so many people. We actually have a few tapes from Michigan playing in the 1970s here at Coaches Hot Seat, and it is amazing to watch those old Wolverine games and see how similar they play to the Miles LSU teams of today. On both teams the offensive lines are feisty and very aggressive, the running backs run hard, and both teams defenses play with reckless abandon with 4, 5, 6, or even more players in on every tackle. Yes, understanding what Bo Schembechler was all about is very important in understanding the Les Miles of today, but it is also important in predicting what will happen in coming years with Miles in Baton Rouge. With that in mind, let's get to the 2008 LSU season.

Coaches Hot Seat Bottom Line

We predict that Les Miles and LSU will have an 10-2 record in 2008. The talent that Nick Saban piled up in Baton Rouge has only been added to by Les Miles and his staff, and the machine that is now LSU football will continue to hum along in 2008. The season starts off with Michigan killer in Appalachian State, but this LSU team will not lose to any I-AA team. LSU is 1-0. The 2nd game brings the very tough Troy football team to Baton Rouge, but Larry Blakeney doesn't have the horses to hang with the Tigers. LSU is 2-0. In week 3 North Texas comes calling on LSU, and that means LSU is 3-0. The Auburn Tigers are next for LSU, but on the road this year, and this should be one of the deciding games for the SEC West. Last year's Auburn-LSU game was one of the best games of the year, with Les Miles playing the role of Bret Maverick and Tommy Tuberville standing with his mouth wide open on the sideline saying, "What in the hell just happened here?" (Watch this: LSU beats Auburn 30-24 Last Second Comeback). We see another close game in 2008, but Auburn finds a way to win this one, which takes the LSU record to 3-1. After a tough loss to Auburn the improving Mississippi State Bulldogs come to Baton Rouge, but we see LSU bouncing back in a close game to win and run their record to 4-1. A trip to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators is up next, and this game will be a chance for LSU to get back into the race for the SEC West, since Auburn will still have Georgia and Alabama on their schedule. In another close game, we see Tebow and the Gators revenging the loss to LSU in '07 with a win in '08, and that takes the LSU record to 4-2. Steve Spurrier and South Carolina are next on the docket for Miles and LSU, and this will be a very important game for the Tigers to regain momentum to finish the season. There is a massive talent difference between LSU and South Carolina and the LSU defense will be the deciding factor in this game as LSU runs their record to 5-2. One of the best SEC games of the year rolls around in week 8 as Mark Richt brings his team and incredible road record to Tiger Stadium. In a great, but very close game, we see Miles and LSU finding a way to beat the Bulldogs, and LSU is now back in the hunt for the SEC West at 6-2. Tulane is next, which means a win for the Tigers and a record of 7-2. The Les Miles-Nick Saban II game is next as Alabama comes calling Baton Rouge. Years ago, Alabama couldn't lose in Tiger Stadium, but the Bear is not around anymore, and LSU beats Alabama to run their record to 8-2. Another fascinating game, and the first game of what should be a great match-up between Houston Nutt/Ole Miss and Les Miles/LSU in the coming years, but Nutt doesn't have the talent that he had at Arkansas, so LSU gets the win and their record goes to 9-2. The LSU season ends against Arkansas in Little Rock against what will probably be a very good Hog football team by the end of the year, but LSU will be battle hardened by then, and easily the most talented team on the field. LSU beats Arkansas and ends the season at 10-2, but we see them ending up being tied with Auburn with 2 losses in the SEC West, but Auburn will have the tiebreaker with the win over LSU.

Overall, a 10-2 record without a proven QB will be quite an accomplishment for Les Miles and LSU in 2008, but winning is now expected in Baton Rouge, and the talk among the Tiger fans will soon turn to 2009 and how they can get back to the top of the game.

2008 Coaches Hot Seat Prediction: 10-2

Will Les Miles be back for the 2009 season? YES