(Editor’s note: Every Tuesday throughout the season, the crew at Coaches By The Numbers will tackle a coaching topic related to one of the week’s marquee games. With the LSU Tigers and loopy coach Les Miles taking on the Oregon Ducks in the opening week’s biggest game, the CBTN team asks if the criticisms of Miles’ offbeat style are justified.)
If you asked 10 LSU fans their thoughts on Les Miles, five would say they love him and five would say they wouldn’t be too disappointed if he took another job. Let’s get beyond the rumblings of the fans, take emotion completely out of the equation and see what the numbers have to say about the Mad Hatter. Before we get into the numbers on Miles, let’s look at some quick numbers from LSU’s football history to gather some perspective of the program’s prestige.
| Team | Years | Record | Win % | 10-Win Seasons | SEC Champs | Natl. Champs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 1980-1999 | 124-100 | 55.4% | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Over the 20 year period from 1980-1999, LSU football only won 24 more games than they lost. During this 20 year period, LSU only had two 10-win seasons and won only two SEC championships. Nick Saban took the reigns in 2000 and here is what ensued:
| Years | Record | Win % | 10-Win Seasons | Conf. Win % | SEC Champs | Natl. Champs | CBTN Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2004 | 48-16 | 75% | 2 | 73.68% (56-20) | 1 | 1 |  |
Clearly, Saban had a pretty large impact on LSU’s program. He increased the school’s winning percentage by 20 percentage points and had the same number of 10-win seasons as LSU did in the previous 20 years. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the national championship he brought home. Given that LSU has only won seven national titles in school history, we can probably agree that this is a pretty big deal. (NOTE: LSU officially claims three national championships in 1958, 2003 and 2007. However, the school has been recognized as national champions by polling organizations on four additional occasions: 1908, 1935, 1936 and 1962.)
Now, let’s dive into Les Miles’ numbers:
| Years | Record | Win % | 10-Win Seasons | Conf. Win % | SEC Champs | Natl. Champs | CBTN Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2011 | 62-17 | 78.5% | 4 | 69.39% (34-15) | 1 | 1 | |
Let’s take a look at a few other data sets on Miles (rank below is for active and inactive coaches since 2001 with minimum of three years experience and only reflects their time coaching in the SEC):
| School | Win % in Close Games (4 pts. or less) | Rank Among SEC Coaches in Close Games | Win % in Blowouts (15 pts. or more) | Rank Among SEC Coaches in Blowouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 68.42 (13-6) | 2 (out of 18) | 91.18 (31-3) | 1 (out of 18) |
| School | Win % Against Teams Over .500 | Rank Among SEC Coaches | Win % Against Teams Under .500 | Rank Among SEC Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 67.39% (31-15) | 2 (out of 18) | 93.94% (31-2) | 4 (out of 18) |
A huge aspect/trait that so many people value in a coach is recruiting. Let’s look at how good of a job Les Miles has done in that area compared to his predecessor:
| Coach | Years | Avg. Recruiting Rank | Avg. Stars Per Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Saban | 2002-2004 | 6.33 | 3.34 |
| Les Miles | 2005-2011 | 8.29 | 3.61 |
So, on the recruiting trail, his classes are ranked almost the same as Saban, and his average player is actually better. From the looks of the numbers, Les Miles has done a pretty solid job of maintaining and building upon what Nick Saban built at LSU. LSU fans not in favor of Miles’ coaching performances to this point may need to study the numbers in more detail.
They also may need to remind themselves of the mediocrity that was LSU football in the 20 years prior to Nick Saban and Les Miles showing up on campus.
Follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter at @CrystalBallRun.
Follow Coaches By The Numbers at @CoachesBTN.
