You'll find no disagreement here. The only problem is that only one team has come up big in big games AND not dropped one they should have won.
I was proEaux with the following stipulations - fire a bunch of folks, hire an impeccable OC and get out the way, win out. With Eaux's resume, he needed to show out to win the job. I think that's fair considering where he'd be on the list without having this huge opportunity fall in his lap. If we end up with Eaux I'm not going to be upset. I realize he's fighting an uphill battle. If he's our guy, I still hope he cleans house and gets a great OC. And he'll bring stability a new staff can't. But I'm looking harder elsewhere following the result of the UF game. It's reported Fournette got in a scuffle with a UF coach and got his status switched from out to in based on feelings. Eaux didn't handle the shit talk from his sideline leading up to this game very well. And Fournette sure didn't look like he should be playing.
You or I have no way to know this. I know Miles was real good at getting us 8 or 9 wins with a birth in a "who gives a crap" bowl, which is exactly what Orgeron has done... LSU, one of the top 5 or 10 jobs in the country can't do better than Ed Orgeron?? A glorified defensive line coach with absolutely no resume to suggest that he would even be considered if he wasn't already on the staff when Miles got fired?? I've heard the "just hire a great O coordinator". OK, so just find hot shot O Coordinator and hire HIM as the head coach. Why pay two guys?? Heck, Aranda has a better resume than Orgeron. Orgeron is not the guy that's gonna topple Saban. There might be nobody out there that's gonna topple Saban, but I'm pretty confident Orgeron isn't that guy
Miles routinely played down to the competition. Your right "I might not know we would have lost these games" but I could almost guarantee that they wouldn't have been blow outs like they were. Also eaux came into this shit show half way in with no way instituted his preferred offense. Would it be better than it is now or worse, I don't know it wouldn't be miles ball.
Coach O's downfall this past game may have been allowing Fournette to suit up at the last minute. May have taken Guice's head out of the game.
I highlighted what I think are the two key statements in your post, because I think you answered your own question. This is an offshoot of the Negas vs Pumpers Wars, when the pumpers argued,"who you gonna get if you fire Miles...you're telling everyone 80% isn't good enough." Here's the thing.....Saban is going to steamroll his way to yet another title this year, and I think the argument that he is the greatest college coach ever is getting stronger by the minute. Meanwhile, there are quite a few programs around the country that see themselves as national champion contenders every season. But they don't have to worry about a direct threat from Tuscaloosa every year either. tOSU, FSU, Michigan, Oregon, the Okies, whoever else you want to put in the equation....they all have to succeed at a different level to get to the playoff, because they don't actually have to worry about Bama until they get there. Even in the SEC East...with the exception of Tennessee, they're in the same boat as other conference powers; do what you have to to get there - in their case, the SECCG - then worry about the elephant in the room. Which brings us to the SEC West. Auburn has to approach the problem differently. Because of the rivalry, their problem isn't necessarily championship related; their overall success will always be measured by success against Bama, no matter what else happens. A&M, Cowbell, Arky, johnny reb...still just trying to step up to conference contender. And that leaves LSU. There is no other program in the nation that sees itself as a title contender every year, but.....all you have to do is solve the riddle of the coach and program that is on the greatest roll in college football history. And there's no ducking them, no one's going to knock them out of your way, and even if you do beat them, their mystique is such that the powers that be might order you to beat them twice. Is it any wonder we may have trouble attracting a top coach?
