Is it fair for LSU to fire coach Les Miles?

“(The media) had me in a job not long ago too”, Miles said about the reports of his firing, referencing a reported move to MI in 2007.

The $15 million buyout is payable over eight years and includes an additional $2 million total payable to assistant coaches who have a “Les Miles clause” in their deals. Overall, Miles has a 60-27 record in SEC play. Other national outlets have similar reports.

“LSU’s decision-makers are focused on analyzing not just the potential separation with Miles, but also who they might be able to hire”, Schad writes. That’s roughly an average of 10-3 every year.

Miles has won plenty at LSU, claiming a national championship (2008) and two SEC titles while producing 64 NFL draft picks. This year will be his 11th-straight bowl appearance. He has seven double-digit win seasons – 2005, ’06, ’07, ’10, ’11, ’12 and ’13.

FSU’s recruiting class, which includes 17 verbal commitments, is ranked No. 3 in the country by 247Sports.

When LSU Board of Supervisors members in Atlanta heard of those comments, they and then-LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe came to an agreement with Miles’ agent George Bass late that Friday night. All of those things scream, “DON’T FIRE THIS GUY!” “When you play for the guy next to you, that’s when you win championships”. It’s not what the LSU administration sees. The numbers don’t lie and indicate that Miles would be tough to replace.

Incoming talent has not been the trouble.

He’s already a recruiting machine and has a history of successfully developing quarterbacks into stars, including former Alabama signal-caller Blake Sims, current quarterback Jake Coker and former Tennessee gunslinger Jonathan Crompton. All of which helped fill the reservoir of those who want LSU to keep a perch it never enjoyed before 2000. Not only is it respectful of Les Miles (a man he worked for) but it’s just practical.

Compare this to another Big Ten-reared power enthusiast Bret Bielema.

Will they play for their embattled head coach in the game against the Aggies? Citing Miles’ overall record? There’s no disputing LSU has looked sloppy and pitiful in recent weeks.

After three soul-crushing losses, however, the Bayou Bengals have painfully crashed back down to earth. Miles will get a total package of $15 million should he be fired by midnight on December 31, according to his contract.

Those officials are athletic director Joe Alleva and LSU President F. King Alexander; they have not commented publicly on Miles’ status.

Despite the rumors, Miles is ignoring them and focusing on the task at hand: continuing the Tigers’ dominance over Texas A&M this Saturday. Whoever takes over will have a team loaded with talent, so there should be no rebuilding process. The SEC West is the most competitive division in the Power 5.

It wasn’t until the postgame press conference that Alabama’s Nick Saban could explain why he was roaming the sidelines with a prominent cut and bruise on his left cheek.