BCS Championship 2012: Win Will Crown Les Miles as CFB's Best Coach

Monday's BCS National Championship Game has a lot riding on it. Naturally, the winner is the national champion. But the winning coach will also be firmly entrenched as the best coach in the country—and not just if it's Nick Saban. 

Look at what Les Miles has done and who he's done it against. We'll start at the top. 

From 2001-2004, Miles boasted a 28-21 record at Oklahoma State. That was during a time when Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska and even Colorado were all competing for national championships. The Cowboys are national championship contenders now, and they have Miles to thank for a lot of that. 

In seven seasons at LSU, Miles has racked up a 75-17 record and a national championship win. And when you compare his resume to some of the other top coaches, it stacks up. He's done just as much as guys like Saban and Urban Meyer, and he has actually had less talent. 

LSU is known for a great defense. It's their hallmark now, was in 2007 and will be four years from now.

Look at the kind of offensive talent at the skill positions that Urban Meyer had when he was at Florida. Tim Tebow, Aaron Hernandez, Percy Harvin, David Nelson and Louis Murphy were all on the 2008 national champions. And they didn't lack defensive talent either, with players like Joe Haden, Major Wright and Brandon Spikes. 

While at Alabama, Saban has had similar talent. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and stars like Julio Jones and Trent Richardson have all graced the fields of Alabama. And like Meyer, Miles has done that with star offensive players. 

Every coach that wins is going to do so with a lot of talent. You can't have a roster of scrubs and still compete for national championships. 

But Miles has done just as much that some of the country's other great coaches have done, but with less. He's found a way to consistently put points up with only a fraction of the offensive talent that Saban and Meyer have had.

The reason is that Miles consistently finds ways to keep his opponents guessing. He's just crazy enough to try a fake field goal or punt when it's least expected. 

A win on Monday and Miles matches Saban and Meyer in national championship victories. Given the lack of offense that he's had when compared to those other coaches, Miles deserves the tiebreaker. 

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