LSU Tigers

Georgia's Downward Spiral Gives LSU Fans Reason To Worry

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

At the end of the 2015 college football season, the Georgia Bulldogs were faced with a situation similar to what the LSU Tigers saw at the end of last year and into 2016. They had a head coach in Mark Richt who was consistently winning at least nine or ten regular season games every year, but could never seem to get over the hump and win championships.

So, the Bulldogs decided to part ways with their long time head coach after the season. Much like Georgia, LSU moved on from Les Miles in large part because of his inability to further progress the team from its repeated nine or ten win state.

After firing such a successful head coach, Georgia needed to go out and make a splash to justify the move to both its boosters and fanbase. They did just that, getting one of college football’s most coveted assistant coaches in Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. After years working under Nick Saban, Smart was thought to be a guy who could come in and be an elite head coach.

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Much like the Bulldogs, it is absolutely critical that the Tigers hire one of the best available coaches in the nation to replace a coach who had the highest winning percentage in program history. Whether it is bringing in a guy like Houston’s Tom Herman or removing the interim label from head coach Ed Orgeron, LSU desperatly needs to get this one right.

But if the situation out in Georgia is any indication, LSU fans should be terrified about what lies ahead. This is a fanbase, much like the Bulldogs, that demands and deserves winning football, and the Tiger brass understands that. They will make the best decision possible when all is said and done, but will it be enough?

Georgia fans thought they were getting their savior in Kirby Smart, but in his first season leading the Bulldogs, the team is off to a very poor start and just lost AT HOME to VANDERBILT. Smart started his tenure with a very talented roster, but the quality of play has dropped off significantly since the team moved on from Richt.

As an LSU fan, that entire situation makes me extremely nervous about the future of our program. No matter what, we will have a head coach next season who is among the best in college football, but did we all undervalue what Les Miles did here at LSU? Personally, I agreed with the decision at the time, and I still do, but what’s happening to the Georgia Bulldogs and the similarity to our situation is cause for worry.

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