Les Miles' recent bowl record - a little perspective

One of the persistent issues raised by many posters in the angst-filled days since our depressing loss to ND is the fact that Miles has had a lackluster bowl record over the past few years. I'm old enough to remember a stretch in the late 60s and early 70s when another pretty good coach endured a bowl losing streak that makes LSU's recent record look pretty good by comparison.

Bear Bryant coached at Alabama for 24 years, and his teams went to a bowl every year he was there. His overall record in bowl games was 12-10-2. Moreover, from 1967-1974, his bowl record was 0-8-1!! I distinctly remember reading stories at the time complaining that Bear was losing his touch, was over the hill, and was no longer capable of winning the big games. Of course, over the remainder of his career, he was 7-1. Here's a link to his record:

LINK

Now, I'm NOT suggesting that Les Miles should be considered as equal to Bear Bryant. I'm only pointing out that ANY coach who is in this business long enough is going to endure periods of uneven production in bowl games, no matter how good he is. (Remember, Nick Saban is 0-2 in his last two bowls.)

Whether Miles' recent record suggests a decline or just a temporary blip in an otherwise successful career remains to be seen. (I can see arguments for both interpretations of the evidence, and by the way, I distinctly remember the exact same argument taking place in 2008 and 2009.) But you shouldn't attempt to draw any definitive conclusions just by looking at our recent bowl record.