Apples to Apples -- comparing Miles and Brown

This is a quote from Wikipedia.

“In his early years at he was sometimes referred to as "Coach February," a nickname that indicated he performed well during the important recruiting season, but failed to follow up with equally impressive wins on the field. His detractors felt that with all the resources at his disposal, combined with the talent he was recruiting from high school programs, that he should have more to show for it. They felt that he should be playing for conference titles or even national championships every year…”

Sound familiar?

That is what is said about William Mack Brown the highest salaried coach at a public institution with an annual salary of $5.1 million.

Below is a comparison of the first five years of Mack Brown as head football coach at the University of Texas and Les Miles as head football coach at Louisiana State University.


Year One
Brown - 9-3, won bowl game. Defeated Oklahoma
Miles - 11-2, won division, won bowl game, Defeated Alabama

Year Two
Brown - 9-5, won division, lost bowl game, Defeated Oklahoma
Miles - 11-2, won division, won conference, won bowl game, Defeated Alabama

Year Three
Brown - 9-3, lost bowl game, Lost to Oklahoma
Miles - 12-2, won division, won conference, won National Championship, Defeated
Alabama

Year Four
Brown - 11-2, won division, won bowl game, Lost to Oklahoma
Miles - 8-5, won bowl game, Lost to Alabama

Year Five
Brown - 11-2, won bowl game, Lost to Oklahoma
Miles - 9-4 , lost bowl game, Lost to Alabama,

Summary
Overall win loss records in first five years - Brown 49-15, Miles 51-15.
Record against “big rival” - Brown 2-3, Miles 3-2
Bowl Wins - Brown 3, Miles 4
Division Championships - Brown 2, Miles 3
Conference Championships Brown 0, Miles 1
National Championships Brown 0, Miles 1
Les Miles accomplished his record in the Southeastern Conference while Mack Brown’s team competed in the Big 12 Conference

During the first five years of Mack Brown’s tenure at Texas, one team from the Big 12 Conference actually won the National Championship (Oklahoma)

During the first five years of Les Miles’ tenure at LSU, four national championships were won by teams (Florida, LSU and Alabama) from the Southeastern Conference.
It certainly could be argued that the Southeastern Conference was a more “difficult” league yet Les Miles still achieved a higher winning percentage than Mack Brown.

Mack Brown is the highest paid coach in America and some say “Les Miles could not coach his way out of a paper bag” and that he should be fired. Strange world isn’t it?