The national media's 180

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Media is always 5 steps behind a fanbase. They don't pay attention as closely as we do.

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This. They've gone from saying, "man that fan base is impatient and has unrealistic expectations" to "man that fan base was right all along".

Though, they aren't actually saying the latter.


ETA: This is coming from someone who wasn't screaming for Miles' head last year. I'm admitting you guys that were doing it were right all along too.

I can understand it because it mirrors ME.

Last November, I was a Miles supporter and believed he deserved the right to take actions and make changes.

He utterly failed and NOW (since Saturday) I am convinced he must go. Giving a person a 'benefit of a doubt' and ' a chance to make changes' is NOT the same as carving support in stone.



The media, and BHP, both gave the benefit and acknowledge the failure to take advantage of it.

One problem was the "wins" LSU was getting over the years that people including the press gave Miles a pass on. When you have ugly wins over a ranked opponent, it's still a win. The problem with Wisconsin was that they were unranked and even though they are ranked now they will drop once Ohio state, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa play them.

I remember the Washington game. That team had 6 starters off the defense suspended and yet LSU had to come from behind and win. Had they had all their starters it would a been a loss. Look at the last couple years alot of "big wins" was off of teams with a big name but weak like Florida and Auburn.

The Wisconsin game showed that 100% to anyone watching that you can't always beat an inferior opponent with superior talent. The coach and coaching staff have to do their job. Like it was said on ESPNU that game had the biggest talent difference. You can't hide poor and lazy coaching in a game like that. People have no choice but to notice it.
When people notice that Zach Mettenberger, Jarvis Landry, O'Dell Beckham jr and Jeremy Hill played together at same time with a top 10 defense, one could be forgiven if they thought that team won or competed for a title. They could be be forgiven if they thought that team won their conference yet the reality was they didn't even win their division.

That's what alot of people including the press are coming around too. They just a couple years too late.

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Many that follow LSU have pointed out these issues for a few years now, but the defend Les crowd were blinded by the outcome.

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Exactly and let me add to that. We were as lucky as Notre Dame but luck does run out. Back to these 8 and 9 wins, look objectively who was beat. Half of those were scrubs and at least half of the big wins were big name schools that were on a down year. Beating good teams playing good ball became a rarity. The losses to Alabama wasn't about recruiting or talent, it was about coaching.

Last season LSU was 7-0 going into Nov. with the Heisman frontrunner in tow. Then, as well know, everything went kaput at Alabama, followed by subsequent losses to OM and Ark. For the LSU fans (at least the ones who are capable of being objective), last season's November swoon wasn't totally unexpected. We saw an offense that despite LF's great play, had some issues in the passing game. What the national media saw was an LSU team that simply just lost 3 games in the SEC to at least 2 very tough opponents on the road (OM and Bama) and arguably the hottest team in the SEC at the time (Ark). The perception of the national media was that it is damn tough to win in the SEC, let alone on the road, and with a 1st year starting QB. The pundits largely gave Les a pass based on his past success.

Then the offseason came and LSU essentially returned everyone of note (except a LB and two O-linemen). Everyone figured the offense would get better (a) because its poor play nearly costs Les his job the year before and (b) most of the key players, first and foremost the QB, were back and experienced. There was a ton of hype for LSU going into the season as a potential national championship contender. Then.....

In a showcase game against a good, but unranked team, Les and LSU came out and exhibited the EXACT SAME PROBLEMS AND POOR COACHING/PLAY that has plagued them for at least the last two years. Literally nothing changed. It was on full display that Les had no interest in fixing the problems from the last two seasons, and thus the results were almost assuredly going to be the same (2-4 losses), only this time with a team they felt could be national championship caliber. I think it was at that moment that the remaining holdouts in the national media realized that Les is LSU's biggest problem right now and that the LSU fans weren't crazy for point that out last season.

So in short, what changed? Expectations. Last season was a percieved good, but not great, team ultimately having a good, but not great season. In game 1 we saw a team expected to be great look anything but in an embarrassing fashion and a coach who seems either clueless or unwilling to adjust his ways.