LSU Tigers

Is A Win Over Alabama Enough For Orgeron To Win The LSU Job?

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

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Not much was expected from the Ed Orgeron era of LSU football. After longtime head coach Les Miles was fired by the program, Orgeron was named the team’s interim coach. Most of the fan base and media expected to see him finish out the rest of a disappointing season and be gone the second the year ended.

But remarkably, Coach O has exceeded any of our wildest expectations. The team has played three games since the start of his tenure, scoring 42, 45, and 38 points respectively in each of those contests. The Tigers have dominated two SEC opponents in Missouri and Ole Miss, and have looked even better on the field than their numbers would indicate.

Orgeron has made the LSU offense productive, something we have waited to see for years now. The team is back in the national conversation and the Tigers have seen great support from the voters of the Associated Press top 25 poll. As a result of all of this, many are saying that not only is Ed Orgeron a potential candidate for the permanent job in Baton Rouge, but he might just be the clear cut favorite.

After Miles was unable to find success with this roster, no one expected to see the team perform the way it has under its interim coach. But Coach O has proven us all wrong, and he has the Tigers playing like one of the best teams in the entire country.

It was clear from the time that he started to become an actual candidate that he would have to win most, if not all, of LSU’s games down the stretch. With Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas A&M all on the team’s late-season schedule, Orgeron’s chances did not look good.

But to this point he has done everything that he has been asked and more. The team has flat out dominated, and that has some saying that if the LSU Tigers can upset the number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide next Saturday, Orgeron is all but guaranteed to be the program’s full time head coach.

While I am one who agrees with that point for the most part, I think there is certainly an argument that can be made against it.

Beating Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide and moving the team to 4-0 in his tenure should easily be enough to get Ed Orgeron the job, assuming they continue to play well in their final three games. Coach O clearly loves this school and is passionate about the program’s success, and beating Alabama after the run the Tigers have been on gives him the proven track record he needs to remove the interim label.

But what if it’s still not enough for the decision makers at LSU? We knew from the start of his tenure that it would take a lot for him to win the job, and what if the people on the board and in the athletic department have even higher expectations than us? The school did just fire the greatest coach in its history, and replacing him by removing the interim tag off of a guy is not a big enough move for a lot of schools. I hope Ed Orgeron continues to win and gets this job, but if the program already has its sights set on outside candidates, is a win against Alabama enough?