LSU Football 2012: Getting Under the Hat of Les Miles

LSU fans are bipolar when it comes to Les Miles.

One minute they love him, and the very next second they're calling for his head. Is it justified?

Well, I'm sure many would point to the fiasco in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama, where the Tigers were outplayed and outcoached by the Crimson Tide as a justifiable reason. Why, exactly, was Jordan Jefferson still in the game, and why were the Tigers not prepared to defend Brad Smelley and Alabama's offense?

These are questions I cannot answer because I generally do not know. It's the same thing as trying to decipher why LeBron James had a meltdown in the finals against the Dallas Mavericks last year.

You would be ignorant if you didn't believe James is one of the best basketball players in the world, if not the best, so why did he not show? After all, he was the one that carried the Miami Heat in Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, just like Miles led his team to an undefeated regular season.

In a general consensus, Miles is thought to be a great football coach, but many question his reliability when it comes down to the clutch moments of the game. In fact, Miles still doesn't have my full trust when the game is on the line because of his terrible clock management against Ole Miss in 2009 and his near botch against Tennessee in 2010.

Others say he picks favorites, which is hard to argue against because of the multiple opportunities Jordan Jefferson received, and his talent does bail him out of sticky situations frequently.

However, with all of his faults laid out on the table, the man is still a great football coach. Is he loony sometimes? Sure. Does he make some outlandish calls in critical situations sometimes? Absolutely, but you can't discredit what this man has done at LSU, in the SEC and on a national level.

Miles has a head coaching record of 103-64, and he's managed to go 75-18 at LSU while winning two SEC championships and one national championship. That's incredible, and no matter what anyone else wants to say, you don't accomplish that on talent alone.

Fans have a right to still be upset about the national championship game because that was was horrendous coaching, but at the same time, Nick Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. It's nearly impossible to beat him twice in one year, and Miles was outclassed that day.

However, that shouldn't mean that Miles is a bad coach. Heck, the fact that Miles has been able to outwit Saban certain years is an accomplishment in itself. Can you imagine the amount of wreckage Alabama fans would have felt had Miles beat Saban twice in the same year?

If that would have happened, maybe Miles would be considered as one of the best coaches rather than Saban.

So forgive and move one. This year is supposed to be LSU's year, and if Miles doesn't have the full support of the fans that will only hurt the team. With all of the talent returning for the Tigers in 2012, the future is bright, Tiger fans, and Miles is the right man to lead this bunch.