re: Pittsburgh sports radio guy claims Miles called Michigan re head coach job...

There is no way in hell CLM called UM direct, which is what the insinuation is here. He would have had his agent initiate any contact. Complete BS.

Say what you want about Miles, but bad recruiter isn't one of them. He is a great recruiter.

That being said, I have always been a Miles supporter, but I'm pretty much done. He has run his course and I would really like to see LSU get some fresh blood.

As long as Lloyd Carr has a say, Les will not be at Michigan

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He's had a good run here. I don't think there's anyway to replace this entire staff and it be an upgrade. A coach would either have to be delusional or just downright ballsy to come into the West right now.

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It's LSU, in the most fertile state for football talent per capita. Louisiana is one of the only states where youth football participation is going UP instead of dropping. LSU is - and will continue to be - a great job.

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Everyone knows Miles accepted it then turned it down the first time and wasn't even asked the second due to that.

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I don't know that you can prove that he actually accepted the job in 2007, but I do think that Herbstreit's report was not total BS. I have a theory about that day that I'll never be able to prove, but I'll put it out there anyway. I truly believe that Les had every intention of bolting for Michigan AFTER the bowls were completed (remember that the BCS scenario was quite implausible the day of the SEC Championship, and LSU figured they were playing for a Sugar Bowl berth). I think that Bertman got wind of it and confronted Miles, and very likely told him that if he wanted to go to Michigan, start packing, and Pelini will coach the SEC Championship and the bowl game (remember, Skip didn't get where he was by always being a nice guy). The main reason I think this is that if you'll remember, Miles seemed somewhat agitated and angry at the press conference, perhaps because he had met his match in Bertman.

Remember, all of this is pure conjecture and can never be proven, but I have never believed that Kirk Herbstreit completely fabricated his report that day. Now blast away (as usual) and tell me how stupid this is, but if you think hard about it, it's not an impossible scenario.

Miles is a crazy as the rest of us. I like him

Who else is Michigan going to get? The Harbaughs aren't leaving the NFL for college. That's BS. You only take a step down if you're failing at it....like Saban.

UM can pump all this Michigan Man BS, but they are sick and tired of losing. Hoke and RichRod were strikeouts. They want a winner and are desperate. Miles to UM is very legit. I know this because I'm a random fan who posts on message boards.

inb4 Jon Gruden is next LSU coach

So your theory is, that (a) had Herbstreit not aired the report, and (b) had West Virginia beaten Pitt, that (c) Miles would have gone to Michigan the next week, and (d) Saban would have returned to LSU?

That makes you imagine...

- LSU would not have won the 2007 national title; but
- If Saban had returned, he very well could have established the program he has established at Alabama;
- LSU would not have an equal opponent in terms of recruiting and talent in Alabama that they do now; and
- LSU may have won the national title in subsequent years.

All of that discounts whether Saban would have stayed at LSU this long, which would have him in his 7th year at LSU, and 12th overall. It also discounts how the fans would have treated him, because the talent in 2008-2011 at QB was Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, just like under Miles.

I think that LSU fans believe Saban would have been more successful than Miles from 2008-now. Their records at their respective schools are very close. Food for thought -- you change three plays, and LSU is the big fish in the SEC and not Bama:

(1) The step out of bounds by Michael Ford in overtime at Alabama 2011; if he runs it in for a TD, I don't think there is a mulligan in the title game, because part of the justification of that was that there wasn't a touchdown scored.

(2) The field goal miss by Oklahoma State at Iowa State late in the game in 2011; if it is made, it's likely that LSU plays -- and beats -- Oklahoma State in the BCS title game.

(3) The failed third down conversion late in the game vs Bama in 2012; if LSU converts, they win the game and go on to the SEC championship vs. Georgia. If they win there, they play and beat Notre Dame in the BCS title game.

I know -- you could do that for any number of scenarios. But you could distill it down to three plays being the difference in Miles possibly having 3 BCS titles to Saban's 1 at Alabama, instead of vice versa.

But it could have made a huge difference in Bama not having Saban but instead having someone like Petrino or whoever as HC, in terms of difficulty of opponents. Interesting to ponder.

TLDR: LSU has been incredibly successful under Miles, and maybe would be similarly successful under Saban over that same time period, but the line between the two is thinner than people give Miles credit for.