LSU Tigers

Has Ed Orgeron Exposed Les Miles?

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

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Ed Orgeron has had his fair share of adversity since taking over at LSU. From the day Les Miles was fired by the school, Orgeron was considered to be just the guy filling in until the season ended and the program could do a big name coaching search in the offseason. His team was struggling mightily, and with a tough schedule ahead, things did not look good.

Coach O made his debut as LSU’s interim coach against the Missouri Tigers, and going into that game, nobody really had any idea what to expect. The Tigers had struggled all year, and a week removed from a coaching change, the team was not expected to light it up.

But, that’s exactly what they did, as LSU had wrapped up a win over the visiting Tigers by halftime. Tiger Nation was full of hope for the first time in weeks, but we were consistently told that “It doesn’t matter. Missouri isn’t good.” Nonetheless, we believed in our team, and they proved us right in wins over both Southern Miss and Ole Miss.

Ed Orgeron has turned this LSU team into one of the hottest in all of college football. They are not only back in the top 25, but sit inside the top 15 at 13th in the latest College Football Playoff ranking. The Tigers are not only in play for a conference championship game appearance, but with the opponents remaining on their schedule, this team could very well find itself playing in the playoffs.

Considering where this team sat just a few weeks ago after a road loss to the Auburn Tigers, it’s kind of absurd how fast LSU has gotten back in the picture this season. Many considered the Tigers to be down-and-out after losing their second game of the year, and it was hard to argue against that. This was one of the most disappointing teams in the nation at the time, and they showed no signs of getting their act together.

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Somehow, Coach O changed all of that. Not only has he had a huge impact on the culture of the program, but the the approach and results on the field have changed for the better. He has taken a roster that at one time looked ready to pack it in and turned them into legitimate contenders at both the conference and national level.

That is why, to a degree, I think Ed Orgeron has exposed former coach Les Miles. Miles was given this same roster, and with talent that can matchup with any team on any field, they struggled mightily under him these last two seasons. The Tigers have had the best player in the country, a dominant defense, and talent across the board offensively, and yet LSU was not relevant under Miles for two-three years before his firing.

Coach O has taken that same roster, and with some simple adjustments, they are playing like a top five team. Les Miles refused to alter his system in the slightest, and it cost this program. Orgeron is evaluating his talent and crafting game plans to work with his team’s strengths as opposed to banging his head against a wall with the same system.

Les Miles is probably the greatest coach in LSU history, but at this point in time, he’s getting exposed by Ed Orgeron. Using a little common sense, Coach O has gotten this team to its potential, something Miles never came close to doing. Each week he proves more-and-more that Miles was, in fact, the problem at LSU.