Les Miles Michigan: 10 Things Miles Would Have Done To Make Michigan BCS Worthy
Les Miles Michigan: It appears the Wolverines may have found their Michigan man.
ESPN.com reports that LSU head coach Les Miles met with Michigan officials on Monday night to discuss the school's head coaching vacancy.
A source tells ESPN's Joe Schad that Miles, a Michigan alum, would accept the position if Michigan offered him the job.
If Miles and Michigan do eventually join forces, however, Miles won't have an easy road, as the Wolverines have struggled to mediocre or below average seasons in each of the last three years.
But can the "Mad Hatter" turn around Michigan's program if he does wind up there?
Here are 10 things Miles could have done to make Michigan BCS worthy in 2011.
Note: Shortly after this article was published it was announced that Les Miles would NOT be the next head coach at Michigan.
But some of these still apply to any coach who will be facing a tough task when he takes over in Ann Arbor.
10. Take Advantage Of The Schedule
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Michigan's 2011 schedule lines up nicely for the Wolverines and should allow them to get by with a couple of sloppy games early in the season.
The Wolverines open up the season with five consecutive home games, three of which come against Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Minnesota.
Michigan also has arguably its two toughest games—against Nebraska and Ohio State—at home at the end of the season.
The weak September schedule should give Les Miles some time to install his system there, while playing the Cornhuskers and the Buckeyes at "The Big House" should take some of the pressure of a Michigan team that won't be as talented.
9. Take More Risks
2 of 10Some call Les Miles stupid. Some call him a risk taker. But I'd argue it's somewhere in between.
Want evidence? Check out the video above.
Or this.
Nobody takes risks quite like Les Miles, but it has paid off with big wins more often than not.
8. Continue His Lucky Streak
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My dad says it best: "Les Miles must have a rabbit's foot up his ass."
So true.
He should have kicked the field goal in that Auburn game (the last slide), he got a lucky bounce on a fake field goal in the Florida game this year, and the Tigers had no business beating Tennessee with that horrific finish earlier this season.
But sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Right, Les?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Win From Behind
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During his time at LSU, Les Miles has proved he doesn't need to get the early lead to pull out a big "W."
Here's a list of ranked teams who Miles' Tigers have taken down with come-from-behind wins:
No. 15 Arizona State
No. 4 Alabama
No. 15 Auburn
No. 11 Florida
No. 8 Tennessee
No. 9 Florida
No. 17 Auburn
No. 17 Alabama
No. 14 Tennessee
No. 1 Ohio State
No. 10 Auburn
No. 18 Georgia
No. 14 Florida
Not bad, huh?
6. Change The Culture
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At Michigan, Rich Rodriguez was a loser, plain and simple.
He's arguably the worst coach in the school's history, a guy who turned a storied program into the Big Ten's perennial punching bag.
But Les Miles—he's a winner, a proven head coach who's won no matter where he's coached.
Much like Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, Miles would institute a huge culture change at Michigan.
And much like Harbaugh, the results would please Wolverine fans.
5. Win Against The Big Boys
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In three seasons at Michigan, Rich Rodriguez was 15-22 overall, just 6-18 against the Big Ten and a terrible 2-11 against top-25 opponents.
Les Miles, on the other hand, has beaten Florida, Auburn, Alabama, and yes, even Ohio State (by 14 points in the national championship) in recent years.
He has two wins over Bob Stoops, two wins against Nick Saban, three victories over Urban Meyer and has beaten six coaches with national titles on their resumes.
If Miles can continue to take down some of the nation's top football programs, including his conference foes, it will go a long way in pushing Michigan back to the top of the Big Ten.
4. Continue Recruiting Well
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According to ESPN.com, Les Miles' LSU Tigers have the No. 7 recruiting class for 2011.
LSU has 21 commits, four of them in the ESPNU150, including five-star defensive tackle and No. 2 overall player Anthony Johnson.
The Tigers also had the No. 8 recruiting class in 2010, the No. 1 class in 2009, the No. 11 class in 2008, the No. 6 class in 2007 and the No. 8 class in 2006, according to ESPN.
If Miles can continue to recruit like that at Michigan and/or lure some LSU commits to Ann Arbor, then the Wolverines are in good shape.
3. Improve The Defense
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During Les Miles' time at LSU, the Tigers have consistently had one of the nation's best defenses.
And that was true again in 2010.
LSU ranked 12th in the nation in total yards allowed (307.2), 23rd in pass efficiency defense (114.2), ninth in points allowed (17.8) and eighth in turnovers gained (32).
If Miles can bring that nasty, hard-hitting defense to Michigan, it will help fix the team's biggest weakness from this past season.
2. Beat Michigan State and Ohio State
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In his three years at Michigan, guess how many times Rich Rodriguez beat Michigan State? Zero.
What about Ohio State? None.
That's right—Rodriguez was a combined 0-6 against Michigan's biggest rivals.
Just beat them at least once, Les!
1. Continue To Win
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Les Miles has been a head coach for ten seasons—four at Oklahoma State and six at LSU—but his only losing season (2001) came in his first year at Oklahoma State.
Overall, Miles is 90-38 as a head coach, 62-17 at LSU, 32-15 in the SEC, 6-3 in bowl games and a national championship winner.
No matter how many people question his coaching ability, the fact is that he does get the job done.
If Michigan hires Miles, they're definitely getting a winner.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
