re: We are going to find out a lot about Les Miles next Saturday vs A&M

I think the A&M game is hugely important for Miles' tenure, but the most important thing isn't what happens on the field, but how well the fans show up.

Clearly, the LSU fan base is divided on Miles, more so than at any point post-Bama 2010. Of course, it shows up here bigger than in reality, because of the nature of all message boards (not a knock on the Rant specifically, just the nature of message boards).

However, if the attendance is down and the crowd is anxious like the Florida game, Miles is probably done in terms of getting back on the top of the mountain.

At any school, a successful coach has to have the full backing of the fans to achieve at the highest level. Historically, LSU fans have been very hesitant to do this, mostly because coaches they have loved ended up bailing on them (Dietzel, Arnsparger, etc.) One of our coaches called it the "Catastrophe Syndrome", that sense that whenever something bad happens, it will inevitably result in a collapse.

If the crowd for the A&M game sucks as much as the crowd for the Florida game, it will show me that Catastrophe Syndrome has moved beyond the Rant and has instilled itself in the general fan base. If that has happened, the big money people will work for a buy-out, with the only question being the timing (now or post-2014).

Back in 2010, the fans were very close to being that divided after the Tennessee game, but the win over Bama righted the ship. This year, there's no game left on the schedule to undo the damage already done.

Yes, the on the field results matter too, but the real story will be whether the fans still believe.

GEAUX TIGERS