Why not 12-0 in 2010??

My preliminary prediction for next year, 10-2. We lose one out of Bama/Fla. and we are upset once. Regarding either 9-3 and 11-1, both are in play, but I'd give a better chance of 9-3. JJ has yet to prove himself a champion. I think the o-line will be better, as well as the d-line. Receiver about the same. RB is a worry. Ridley did not look like the answer in the bowl game, Murphy never has, so Ford better be the next Charles Scott. Is 12-0 a possibility, yea it is, about a 3% chance IMO, if everything fell into place perfectly. I'm not counting on that happening.

 

Agree with LSU-SIU and Red.

 

If I may interject my modest comments on the key to LSU's success for next season. Without a doubt the chic fil A kick off will set the tone. The winner of the last two games in this now classic and somewhat awe inspiring event has had incredible momentum and has gone undefeated in regular season play. Yes, even a NC.

If LSU beats North Carolina with their new "sod busting ways" it will set the tone for their running game to dominate opponents at the point of attack.With this years schedule so daunting, especially the first half, it's a must to restore order among the troops. Players and fans a like.

Can LSU continue the SEC dominance and follow it up with an undefeated year?

Can they manage games with mathematical skill and surgeon like precision?

Can they.....................well, lets just hold it there.

 

Let's be realistic. We have no established RB. Last season's OL had the potential to be the best Miles ever saw. We have no reason to believe that they will be any better than last year. We still have an unproven QB. We are relying on a WR that dropped multiple balls in the bowl game. We have an OC that damn near everyone wanted to run out of town just a few months ago.

As for defense, you lose several DL, LB and S playmakers. You move a 2nd string CB to S because your HS all-american hasn't proven in practice that he is worthy to be on the field. And we have a "Bend, Don't Break" DC who keeps Lou Tepper's Zone Defense for Dummies book on his nightstand.

Give me some legit reasons why you think this team can run the table and be playing for a NC? I never hit Red's bong. We got a full dose of reality checks last season. 8-4 is practical. We have arguably one of the tougher schedules in the country this season. None of this screams 12-0 or 11-1. If LSU was a school with lesser talent to work with, you would be facing a 6-6. We are fortunate to be able to out-talent many teams we play. We sure can't say that we out-coach them.

Solich was fired having won 58 games in 6 seasons, and coming off a 9-3 season, 2nd in the Big 12, including a NC in his 2nd season. Its not 10.2, but its awfully close. Its been done before. Let's see what another 3-5 or 4-4 in conference buys him.

LSU needs a coach that will develop players and take them to a level they never knew they could play at. We don't have that, and we won't until this average coach is finally run out of town. You can't sell ice to this eskimo.

 

OK, what coach is out there on the market who would swoop in and magically solve this "nightmare" scenario you just painted if Miles can't do it? While I'm dissatisfied with Les for many reasons, you need to find a viable replacement who can solve all these issues if you want to run him out of town with torches and pitchforks. Please identify this savior who's going to do everything on your list and return us to the college football promised land.

 

You used the word nightmare. I am a realist. In reality, Miles can't run the table with the losses he has, and his lack of coaching ability.

I didn't say I had a crystal ball. I just know in my gut that Les is not the coach who can promote us back to the highest tier of college football (We're near the top of the 2nd tier). It has nothing to do with his lack of speaking skills, and everything to do with his lack of coaching ability. He's cranking out "Quality Men" who have character. Grab me a tissue box. If you (that's to the masses, and not you individually) are content with 8-9 wins and a trip to the Cap One or Cotton each year, so be it.

There is an article by Bryan Lazare, "Still to be Determined" on Feb 4th on TigerBait.com that compared players recruited and developed by Saban and Miles. The difference is significant, IMO. They were both quite capable of signing the great players. But, its not just about getting great players, its about improving the players you get. The best coaches out there can do both. Miles can only get them here.

Here's some points from the article:

Lazare makes the point that classes should really not be judged on February 4th, but over the 3-5 years these players are on campus (i.e. on performance). Couple of interesting points (not taking into consideration who coached them; only who recruited them:

Saban's Recruiting Classes (2000 - 2004): 28 All-SEC; One class best of 8 all-SEC players; Average of 5.6 All-SEC per class; One class low of 3 All-SEC players.

Miles Recruiting Classes (2005 - 2009): 8 All-SEC; One class best of 4 All-SEC players; Average of 2.3 All-SEC per class; One class low of 1 All-SEC players (2 consecutive years - Only Chad Jones and Patrick Peterson).

I did not include 2008 and 2009 in the average, max, and low for Miles because it's not fair to judge those classes yet because most of those kids still have 2-4 years left to achieve All-SEC status. I don't think there is any doubt that the recruits from 2005 on have not been as successful as those recruited from 2000 - 2004. It showed up on the field in 2008 and 2009.

Miles is simply not promoting the talent to the next level. I wish I could post the entire article. Its a great read.

So, while I don't know what the answer is, its up to Joe Alleva to find the next best thing.

 

At least three that I'm aware of. Can you think of any game last year that would have come in handy?