LSU's high preseason ranking and talk of SEC West title contention re-framed the view of Les Miles' job security. Miles had gone from nearly fired to saving his job, signing a top-10 recruiting class and rejuvenating his defense with the addition of Dave Aranda -- one of the rising stars on the defensive side of the ball. With Leonard Fournette back and a favorable home/away draw in the SEC West, many (including your humbled author) were calling for the resurgence of Les Miles in 2016.
Offseason hype can be crushed in an instant, or in this case the time it took Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy to sprint through the A-gap and arrive in the face of Brandon Harris virtually untouched by LSU's offensive line.
The Tigers' 16-14 loss at Lambeau put Les Miles' job security back on the table for college football conversations everywhere. LSU did not look like an SEC title contender, Brandon Harris did not look like a game-changing quarterback and when the team needed a big play in the waning moments of the game, it got an interception and a personal foul ejection instead.
Les Miles, however, is still in good shape to retain his job, at least according to the oddsmakers. Bookmaker.eu have set the odds on Les Miles still being LSU's coach on Dec. 31, 2016:
| Will Les Miles be LSU's coach on 12/31 | Odds (via Bookmaker.eu) |
| Yes | -320 |
| No | +240 |
One reason for Miles' favorable odds might be his hefty buyout, but another could be the time left this season for Fournette and Co. to turn things around. LSU still has a favorable home/away draw in the SEC and really needs only one big win -- against a certain team from Tuscaloosa -- and a good bowl game for it to be a successful season.
