Lopsided LSU Loss Resurrect Comparisons Between Saban and Miles

The LSU Fighting Tigers are still licking their wounds from last Saturday's thorough beatdown at the hands of the Florida Gators. It was the worst loss during Coach Miles' tenure.

Miles and Co. are all waxing eloquently in the typical post-game rhetoric that follows a big loss.

Miles: “There were mistakes, certainly, and some things that can be corrected, but I like my team, and I think this team will prepare well.

“Our team’s resolve and want to prepare is pretty strong.

“We look forward to preparing for another opponent. South Carolina, in my opinion, is a very talented, 5-2 team...”

That game is over, and like many faithful have cried, “It’s only one loss.” That is true, my friend, but will the Tigers rebound and begin to live up to all the talent and ability they possess?

The proverbial jury is still out. I myself will withhold judgment until after the season is over. If there is one immutable, undeniable truth that has been proven during the BCS era, it's that there’s a lot of football yet to be played. It would be unwise to Sharpie any team into the championship game.

But there are some LSU fans who are beginning to grumble, and they’re lining up to get ready to jump off the Les Miles Bandwagon if and when the Tigers lose another game.

These fans within Tiger Nation are those who have never let go of Nick Saban and revere him for the job he did in Baton Rouge. I personally am very thankful for Nick Saban as well. He did turn around LSU football. He did a great job of making LSU one of the top five collegiate programs in all the nation.

But Nick was not content to stay at LSU. He was "lured" away by dreams of being a bigger fish in a bigger pond, only to find out that the pond was actually an ocean. No puns intended.

Anyway, it’s funny to hear some LSU fans knock Alabama fans for idolizing Saban, but ironically they did the same thing when he was here.

Yes, Les Miles is not Nick Saban. Miles has a different way about him. If you took Barry Switzer and mixed in a lot of Bo Schembechler, you’d get Coach Miles: hard-nosed, loose, crass, and a bit arrogant.

Is that why LSU lost so badly to Florida? Because this Miles team is now taking on his personality and thus not living up to their potential? Would Saban have done a better job and not gotten blown out if given the same players and same game plan that Florida devised?

Who knows? My guess is that Saban would have lost too.

I’ll even go out on a limb to say that I don’t believe Saban would have gotten another championship while he was at LSU. His tactics were beginning to wear out, if you remember.

But Saban is gone. Get over it and get behind these Tigers. They need to know that we got their backs.

Geaux Tigers!