re: Les vs CEO

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Expectations could not be really high this year considering we lost the best RB in college and lost numerous lineman.

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We lost Fournette, but returned Guice- a 1st team preseason All American. Many people (not just Tiger fans) felt we would again have the best RB in college.

Regarding the numerous OL losses, that wasn't an issue until the offseason. Those that left might not be starters, but could provide depth and play in a pinch. Initially, we were expected to have one of the BEST O lines in the country.

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Young and unproven WRs

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Chark returned, and he was the most clutch of the group last year. Made the most big plays, and was the guy Etling looked for. Not Dural or Dupre. It was Chark that Etling hit in that ill-fated Auburn play; Chark on 4th and long vs Florida. He, alone, should have been an established upper-tier talent, and the others would have been untapped potential.

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and a very young secondary

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Donte Jackson, Fred Toliver, Ed Paris- all played and had experience prior to this season. Others have emerged as expected, as they always have. This group is neither young nor untested, and is definitely one of the better groups in the conference (as we expected they would be).

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The wins over FL and Auburn show that this team is growing up

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and playing to it's potential

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We should of competed for more titles and had more 10 win seasons with the talent Les had.

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7 10 win seasons in 10 full, with another at 9 and a cancelled game vs McNeese. I'd go ahead and count that as a 10 win season in the usual sense.
3 SEC West Division titles, 2 SEC titles, 1 national title. We played for another SEC title, and for another national title.

So: an 80% rate of winning 10 games; 30% rate of playing in the SEC Championship, 20% rate of playing for the national title.
This, during an era where Alabama and Florida, both annual opponents, won multiple national titles, and Auburn, another annual foe, played for multiple. You could say that LSU "slipped" and let the other teams win, but when you consider the national angle, you can also say LSU remained very competitive versus extremely good opponents.

Did we jump on the panic button early this season? Yes, certainly. But look at things from the Les Miles era point of view- Les would have beaten Miss State and Troy, those were just given going into each season. No excuse can be made for Troy, and given how badly Auburn and Georgia dismantled Miss St, that loss looks really bad too. And keep in mind, had we followed Vegas, we beat State comfortably.

So, if this was a standard Les Miles year, having beaten both Auburn and Florida, we'd be Top 5, with a matchup vs Bama looming for a shot to be #1. We'd be almost certain for an 11 win season, 10 as a disappointment, and the very real chance to win a national title.
Instead, we're hovering near the bottom of the ranked teams, possibly a dangerous opponent but with zero hope of winning a national title. It's just such a wasted opportunity.