Oregon vs. LSU Preview: Les Miles or Chip Kelly, Who You Got?

The matchup this Saturday in Dallas is quite possibly the biggest opening game in college football history, and both teams are led by larger-than-life coaches.

Les Miles used to be the butt of many of ESPN’s jokes, but now the media seems to enjoy his antics on and off the field.

Miles has come a long way from when College GameDay mocked LSU’s sideline after the LSU/Tennessee game last year, when the GameDay crew caused chaos on their set and said it was LSU’s sidelines.  Now they have a GameDay commercial with Lee Corso eating grass and asking Les Miles about it.

As for Chip Kelly, he’s highly regarded in the college football community for his brilliant offensive mind. He took some flack this offseason with the Willie Lyles investigations, but his reputation is still as good as it ever was.

So going into one of the biggest games of the year, who would you like to have leading your squad? This is what both coaches bring to the table, good and bad.

The Good

Les Miles

 Miles is a great recruiter and has a history of running a clean program. Although it’s hard to say that now with the Jordan Jefferson situation and probation the team suffered this offseason, but the Jefferson situation wasn’t Miles' fault and the probation was caused by a coach that doesn’t even coach there anymore.

Perhaps Miles biggest attribute is the bonds he forms with his players. It seems like every player that leaves LSU after playing under Miles has nothing but great things to say about the guy.

The players love playing for him, and Miles is good at pulling off a couple of trick plays here and there as well. Miles’ LSU teams have a history for battling back late and playing their heart out.

That kind of attitude reflects leadership.

Chip Kelly 

Like I said in the slide before, this man is an offensive genius. Kelly’s offense is basically a gimmick offense, but it works.

Kelly gets his team in tip-top shape so the players can run the no-huddle offense all game and wear down the defense.

I didn’t think Oregon had more talent than most of the top-tier teams in college football last year, but Kelly’s system gave them the edge they needed over opponents. Now don’t get me wrong: LaMichael James, Darron Thomas and Kenjon Barner are all special talents, but Auburn had a significant advantage on the defensive line.

Oregon played extremely well though and nearly won the national championship. Kelly’s system proved once again that it works against the elite teams.

The Bad

Les Miles  

 Miles will forever be remembered for his clock management blunders, and the 2009 Ole Miss game and the 2010 Tennessee instantly come to fans’ minds.

Miles was more fortunate in the outcome of the Tennessee game than the Ole Miss game, because of a penalty that happened on the last play of the game to give the Tigers another shot at making it into the end zone.

Miles showed improvement with his clock management decisions later throughout the season, but LSU fans still have to be wary of the coach’s state of mind when the clock ticks away in a tight game during the fourth quarter.

When the game’s on the line, do you want Miles in charge of clock management?

Chip Kelly

Kelly has no real glaring weaknesses, but if I had to pick one, it would have to be his team’s defenses.

Oregon’s defense gave up 497.3 yards per game and 31.3 points per game when it faced three top 50 offenses last year, according to Rivals.com.

Like I said, Kelly isn’t known for having great defenses, but his defenses don’t have to be outstanding when the offense scores like the Ducks do.

My Choice: Chip Kelly

Look, this is not a slight against Miles, but Kelly is the better coach. Sure Miles has a national title and Kelly doesn’t, but he’s also been coaching a lot longer than Kelly and has had more talented teams.

Miles would be the perfect coach if he didn’t have his clock management blunders. Some fans think the media over-exaggerate the problem, but if a coach does it once, that’s one time too many.

Miles has done it more than just against Tennessee and Ole Miss. Look at the Auburn game in 2007. If Demetrius Byrd drops that pass, the Tigers lose that game.

Miles pulls off miracle plays and tricks the opponents in spectacular fashion every now and then, and I believe he’s improving his clock management skills.

But it’s still too risky from a fan’s point of view.  Fans want their football team to be put in the hands of a head coach that can make the smart decision when the game is on the line, and you’ll get that with Kelly.

Kelly is an amazing head coach, with an amazing offensive scheme that has turned the Oregon Ducks into a powerhouse.

I don’t know which coach you’d like to have, but when the game is on the line, I wouldn’t mind having Kelly making the important decisions for my football team.