Will Jarrett Lee EVER get any meaningful playing time?

It got egregious in the Arkansas game. Ahead, 41-10, LSU coach Les Miles continued to insert Jordan Jefferson after the game was way out of hand and victory over the No. 3 Razorbacks was all but assured.

Jarrett Lee, the No. 2 rated passer in the mighty Southeastern Conference strapped his helmet on and just stared at Miles, waiting for, at that point, obligatory playing time. After all, it was Senior Day. Lee's parents, as were all the mothers and fathers and available relatives of the undefeated LSU Tigers, in attendance.
But Miles, being Miles, didn't let Lee in until less than 2 minutes remained in the game.
On Saturday in the SEC Championship, LSU was up big-time over Georgia 35-10 even as the third quarter drew to a close.
To start the fourth quarter, who was it again? Jefferson.
So, the question begs itself: Why isn't Lee getting any meaningful playing time?
This is a guy who staked LSU, in its most important football campaign in five years, to an 8-0 start before throwing two bad interceptions at Alabama.
His punishment since that time? About 5 minutes P.T.
Tops.
Is there something deeper? Did Lee's father possibly curse Miles out after the Bama game and the coach see fit to send a message? We don't know.
Whatever the offense, Lee's time in the game has been reduced to Token Time. Garbage.
While Lee has only thrown for more than 200 yards once (against Mississippi State) he was completed more than 70% of his passes an astounding five times, including 90% against Northwestern State.
For comparison, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the likely Heisman winner and No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft, has completed 70% of his passes in five games also.
Jefferson, a constant threat on the ground, has only completed 70% of his passes in two games, including one in which 100% of his passes were caught (against Ole Miss).
Will Lee get some valuable P.T. in the BCS game against likely opponent Alabama, especially since having a horrible showing against them on November 5?
Time will tell.

LSU escapes Alabama in OT, 9-6

L.S.U. is the best team in the country. The Tigers beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime at Alabama's home field. The Tigers now  take full control in the SEC and the B.C.S. standings.


Yes, Trent Richardson is a beast, but so is the LSU secondary. The score is low. Boring. The game however was not. LSU should have won 12-6, but Michael Ford stepped out of bounds at the seven-yard line on an option play from a last-split-second delivery from Jordan Jefferson.

L.S.U. ran two plays from the seven, putting the ball in the middle of the field, before calling on Alleman. He drilled it, pushing the Tigers to 9-0 and putting them firmly in the driver’s seat for a berth in the national title game.

Alabama is certainly kicking itself (no pun intended) for the three missed field goals and one blocked one.. They had one blown opportunity after another yet in his press conference Bama coach Nick Saban handled it like a stand-up guy. "Nobody is to blame. We had some missed opportunities."

Yes, you did, Nick.

L.S.U. just outlasted the Tide. They couldn't really do much with the Tide. LSU couldn’t move the ball, not consistently. The Tigers had tackling issues in the second half,, where Richardson started to gash them. The Tigers even survived a surprisingly poor punt by Brad Wing.

But, the Tigers are on top of college football. WE are NO. 1.

LSU tramples on Auburn, 45-10

 Rueben Randle caught two bombs and Auburn looked like it was hit by them.


 No. 2 LSU rolled Saturday in a 45-10 trampling of the Auburn Tigers in Baton Rouge.


 Jordan Jefferson and  Jarrett Lee, both had superb games and displayed their long balls as the Tigers rolled to their eighth-straight victory by double digits.


"It just seems like no matter who goes down or who's out, we have guys who are ready to step in … and not just to fill a spot but to go in and dominate," said LSU center T-Bob Hebert.
"I almost feel like everybody else makes a bigger deal about it than we do," Hebert said of the periodic lineup upheaval, and the public scrutiny of the misbehavior that has caused it.
"It's not distracting to us. This team is so good about staying focused, one-track mind, not letting anything on the outside get to them because we don't want to have any regrets."
Somehow, some way Alabama has overtaken the Tigers for the No. 1 spot in college football. Nothing a little head to head comp can't settle.


NOW, WHAT SAY YOU, BAMA???

Baton Rouge Turns Out For LSU Parade

It's pretty cold, but it's pretty sweet, too.
About 25,000 fans braved chilly temps tday to celebrate LSU's national football championship.
"I got chills when I was carrying that flag," star defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey said after the 75-minute event Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium. "Today was a day of closure for my four years at LSU. It has been unbelievable."
Dorsey hadn't had a bad year.
Dorsey won the Outland Trophy (interior lineman), the Lombardi Award (outstanding lineman), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player), and the Lott Trophy (on-field performance and personal character).
He was the last player introduced at the party to celebrate the Tigers' 38-24 victory over Ohio St. on Jan. 7. All but three members of the 2007 team - Jacob Hester, Chevis Jackson and Andrew Decker - were there.

“To come out here in the cold, it says a lot as a whole,” LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman said. “I don’t think I would have come out here in this cold weather, but it shows the love of the people of LSU and how much they appreciate us — and how much we really appreciate them.”
The 2007 national championship flag was raised at the end of the ceremony. National championship trophies from four organizations were presented to LSU coach Les Miles and team captains Dorsey, Patrick Fisher, Matt Flynn and Craig Steltz.
The four trophies were the MacArthur Bowl National Championship, the Football Writers Trophy, The Associated Press Trophy and the BCS National Championship Trophy.
Southeastern Conference commissioner and BCS co-ordinator Mike Slive made the presentation for the BCS trophy and his league's championship trophy.
"This is the third time I've had the privilege of sharing the podium with these great athletes and these great coaches," Slive told the crowd. "I can tell you there is a special aura about them. They have earned your respect and your admiration as they have mine."
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden also appeared at the event.

Louisiana Love: Feels Good To Be No. 1

YEY! LSU WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

After falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter, LSU scored 24 consecutive points to lead by two touchdowns at the half. Ohio State never quit, but the Buckeyes couldn't really threaten the lead against LSU's vaunted defense. The Tigers turned up the heat on Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman and forced him to hurry too many throws. The Tigers also did a good job of containing Beanie Wells after the tailback ran for 119 yards in the first half. Once Ohio State fell behind by three touchdowns early in the third quarter, the Buckeyes couldn't use Wells much to get them back into the game. LSU forced Ohio State into a couple of costly mistakes -- the Tigers blocked a field goal and intercepted a pass down the left sideline to set up touchdowns in the first half.
What didn't reserve safety Harry Coleman do for LSU's defense? In the first quarter, the sophomore from Baldwin, La., recovered a muffed punt return by LSU's Chad Jones at the Tigers' 16. In the second quarter, Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, setting up the touchdown that put LSU ahead 24-10 at the half. Coleman added another fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter, after linebacker Ali Highsmith drilled Boeckman on a fourth-down play. "To go to a national-championship game two years in a row and lose like this is incredible. It hurts tremendously," Ohio State running back Beanie Wells said.As much as they might have wanted to, the Buckeyes couldn't even escape the memory of the Gators here in New Orleans. By chance, Florida Coach Urban Meyer was one of the analysts on the Fox broadcast crew Monday night. At one point during the halftime show, Ohio State legend Eddie George, another one of the Fox commentators, turned to Meyer and said, "This feels like déjà vu all over again. Are we still in Arizona? This game has the same feel as last year."

Too easy. No. 2 LSU danced, dodged and darted its way into the end zone Monday night, turning the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. It was over early, with Matt Flynn throwing four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win.
Playing at their home-away-from-home in the Big Easy, the Tigers (12-2) became the first two-loss team to play for the title.
Shouts of "SEC! SEC!" bounced around the Superdome as the Tigers won their second BCS crown in five seasons. They are the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season.
"My team is the No. 1 team in the land," said All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who passed up the NFL draft to return for his senior season.
And in a season of surprises, this was hardly an upset: Ohio State once again fell apart in college football's biggest game. A year after the Buckeyes were routed by Tim Tebow and Florida 41-14 in the Arizona desert, they barely did better.
"We just didn't do the things you need to do to win a ballgame of this nature. We're very aware that LSU's a deserving champion," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Jacob Hester bulled for a short touchdown, Early Doucet wiggled loose for a touchdown and Dorsey led a unit that outplayed the top-ranked defense in the nation.
Ohio State (11-2) had little to celebrate after Chris "Beanie" Wells broke loose for a 65-yard TD run on the fourth play of the game.
Yet while LSU coach Les Miles got to hoist the $30,000 crystal trophy, certainly many fans around the country were peering into their crystal balls, wondering if someone else was worthy of the title. Southern California, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas and Missouri all put on impressive shows in bowl games, and will be among the favorites in 2008.
The final Associated Press poll was to be released early Tuesday.
LSU, whose two losses both came in triple overtime, became just the fourth favorite to win in 10 BCS championship games. The Tigers added to the crown they won in 2003 — their other title came in 1958.
Miles probably got a little extra satisfaction, too. Though he turned down a chance to return home to Michigan, he did something his alma mater hasn't done recently — beat the Buckeyes.
The loss left Ohio State at 0-9 overall in bowl games against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The SEC delights in whipping Big Ten teams in what's become a rivalry that steams up fans on both sides.
The Tigers rallied from an early 10-0 deficit, taking a 24-10 halftime lead that held up. Two big plays on special teams kept them ahead — they blocked a field goal, and later took advantage of a roughing-the-kicker penalty.

5 Reasons Why LSU Beat Ohio State

It was a close game, for about 1 quarter, but LSU made more plays than Ohio State. Check the top 5 reasons why LSU beat the Buckeyes.

1. TEAM SPEED SHMEED: "You can't tell me it's a speed thing; I'm stubborn about that," OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "If it was a speed thing we would have been getting caught from behind. They out-physicaled us and that's why we lost the game." I agree totally, there was no difference in team speed. LB James Laurinaitis, DE Vernon Gholston and CB Malcolm Jenkins for the Buckeyes were just as fast as Jacob Hester, Early Doucet and Brandon LaFell. But at the skill positions, (Hartline?) LSU had a fiesty, violent edge. It's not just speed, it's violent speed. That running-at-you-at-full-tilt-to-hit-you-in-the-mouth speed, that's what LSU had. The Big Ten, certainly the elite programs like OSU and Michigan, have more than a little bit of the same speed that dominates the SEC (Did you see what Michigan did the Florida?). Ohio State has learned its lesson from last year and will try to spread LSU out, and not let them pursue plays from in front of them. OSU has been practicing the fame "Tiger Drill" to prepare for the tiring ordeal the game will become in the 4th quarter. Boeckman does have two athletic, speedy wideouts in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline who have great hands and know how to get open.


2. QUARTERBACK PLAY (OR LACK OF): Todd Boeckman is a big, lanky quarterback at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, but hew wasn't nearly mobile enough to withstand the athletic heat that LSU put on him. By the time LSU's Ali Highsmith clotheslined Boeckman and the ball squirted out the rout was on. Boeckman joins a distinguished list of quarterbacks, Sean Glennon, Tim Tebow, John Parker Wilson, that have been hit really hard by the Purple and Gold defensive line. Flynn, who didn't play in the SEC Championship Game because of a strained shoulder, completed 19 of 27 passes for 174 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

3. BUCKEYES DEFENSE DIDN'T SHOW UP: The Buckeyes were No. 1 in the nation against the pass with 148.17 yards allowed, but Flynn carved them up for 4 touchdowns and 174 pretty much in 2 quarters (2nd & 3rd) with an assortment of awkward throws and laser-sharp daggers. The OSU defense seemingly was content to let him throw, playing the run more heavily than it should. As good as the Buckeyes front four is, the LSU secondary, even without All-American safety Craig Steltz (stinger) made its presence felt to turn the game around, especially when Harry Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, and the Tigers were in business.

4. HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: To say the scales were tipped in LSU's favor is an understatement. The LSU campus is only 80 miles away in Baton Rouge. "We know the dome," LSU running back Jacob Hester said. "We're in the same hotel. We know the city. Half the team is from New Orleans, and the other half has been here so many times they know where everything is." The crowd was loud a(but curiously quiet after Beanie Wells' touchdown run). OSU just couldn't keep the hush in effect as their lead turned into a deficit as the Tigers reeled off 31 straight points.

5. BUCKEYES OFFENSE DIDN'T HAVE CONSISTENCY: A comedy of weird errors by the Buckeyes, including five personal fouls and three turnovers, enabled LSU to erase a 10-0 deficit and roll to a 31-17 lead before a garbage TD made the score look respectable. The Buckeyes were'nt able to establish consistency: OSU's Chris "Beanie Wells turned in the half of a lifetime after he steam 64 yards up LSU's gut on the game's second play from scrimmage. The problem was, sooner or later, OSU had to pass the ball. LSU, an absurdly deep team, had the consistency it usually had all season: start off slow, take a blow then release a barrage of players and formations at the oppenent to shatter their will. They have six running backs, two quarterbacks and defensive playmakers waiting in the wings. LSU had been especially adept at

murdering quarterbacks and it happened Monday night all over again.

LSU Gets 3 Offensive Stars Back Against Buckeyes

Les has got all the Gatorade out of his ears.
He's done with his turkey, maybe even tucked away the gifts by now.
Now, it's back to football.
At practice Friday, LSU coach Les Miles said that quarterback Matt Flynn and running backs Keiland Williams and Trindon Holliday all practiced well. All three were either limited or missed SEC Championship Game with various injuries.
“All three went through the entire practice and played well,” Miles said. “(Matt) threw several balls today that were thrown as well as any balls he has ever thrown.”
"I feel good," said Flynn, who separated his right (throwing) shoulder in the Nov. 23 loss to Arkansas. "I've been throwing a lot in practice. I'm not throwing every pass in practice, but I'm getting back into the swing and throwing well.
"It's not hurting that much anymore. It's getting a lot better each day. I'll be doing everything in the next day or so."
Flynn confirmed that he is also fully recovered from an early season ankle injury.
"My legs feel good, my feet feel good," Flynn said. "I feel I'm going to be 100 percent in the next couple of days.
"Right now I'm feeling as healthy as I have. I'm not wearing the ankle brace anymore, for the first time since the Virginia Tech game."
The Tigers are preparing to face an Ohio State team that has posted an 11-1 overall mark and has the best defense in the nation in terms of yards and points allowed. As a unit, Ohio State’s defense is allowing 10.7 points and 225 yards per contest.

Two players that the Tiger offense will look at to make a difference against the Buckeyes are running back Jacob Hester and wide receiver Early Doucet. H while
Miles was also licking his chops at having a healthy Jacob Hester and Early Doucet, both of which were gimpy late in the season.
“Early and Jacob mean so much to this team,” Miles said. Hester has rushed for 1,017 yards and 11 touchdowns. “Jacob is tremendously competitive, and he’s a guy who has an eye for making a play. Whether it’s a block, carry, reception or special teams play, he has been in the middle of it," Miles said.
Doucet has caught 50 passes for 474 yards and five scores.
“Early gives us great leadership with tremendous ability. I can tell you that we are looking forward to having both of these guys on the field for this game.”

Why Hawaii vs. UGA May Mean More To College Football Than LSU-OSU

Why? Because the mighty SEC champion LSU knows it can beat the Big Ten's national championship representative for the second year in a row, The Ohio State Buckeyes. But deep down we all know the age-old philosophical debate, who's conference is better, won't die down after the national championship game, no, it'll just reload. But the Hawaii vs. UGA game will truly be seen as a more satisfying answer to the hottest part of the question above: Can an undefeated team that didn't play anybody whip a battle-tested SEC team in a bowl game?
Colt Brennan and the Hawaii receivers will surely test the Bulldog secondary, but what has worked so well for the SEC against non-conference teams for years, speed, will be the deciding factor. If Hawaii wins this game (and they go undefeated???) the flood gates will open up, rightly so, and the issue of strength-of-schedule will be effectively thrown out the window. Think of the App States of the world that will thoroughly reject playing the Michigans of the world because frankly they'll be able to "get there" just by winning against lesser competition. Think also about the Michigans of the world that flatly won't schedule the non-conference toughies because they could prance to the title game without them on the schedule, frankly. So, see, in a philosophical way, this Georgia vs. Hawaii game speaks to the core of the college football debate. And it will be interesting if the Bulldogs will embarass, squeak by, barely lose, or get blown out by Hawaii. In the meantime, Go Bulldogs!

LSU Not Taking Buckeyes Lightly

Phone call from SEC coaches to LSU: "DON'T PHONE IT IN!"
LSU has come all the way up the mountain, at the cusp of a second national title in 5 years, and LSU knows that the league is depending on them.
As the season wore on, injuries to key players mounted and the gap between the Tigers and their opponents closed, especially during a string of matchups against other bowl-bound Southeastern Conference foes. There were narrow victories over Florida, Auburn and Alabama. There were triple-overtime losses to Kentucky and Arkansas. LSU also needed a second-half comeback in its 21-14 victory over Tennessee in the SEC championship game.
Top-ranked Ohio State is a six-point dog to LSU in the BCS Championship. Illinois is on the wrong end of a 14-point spread for its Rose Bowl date with USC. Florida is picked to beat Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, Tennessee over Wisconsin in the Outback, Boston College over Michigan State in the Champs Sports and Oklahoma State over Indiana in the Insight.
The Tigers (11-2) expect key players to be in much better shape by the time the BCS championship game against Ohio State (11-1) kicks off on Jan. 7.
"I know that the lineup shuffles a little bit that way at the end of the year where you've had to play week after week versus quality opponents and it takes its toll," LSU coach Les Miles said Monday, his team's first day at practice after a couple weeks off for final exams.
"There's no question that at some point in time, teams are more healthy and less healthy and it's a testimony to our football team that we win two games with our second-team quarterback. A number of times, our (starting) defensive line is on the sidelines watching and yet this football team finds a way to win," Miles said. "We'll certainly enjoy the rest. We'll certainly improve our health. We're looking forward to returning to freshness, if you will."
Not since 2002, when the Big Ten went 5-2 in a bowl season that included Ohio State’s win over Miami in the BCS Championship, has the conference finished above .500 in the postseason. Last year’s 2-5 mark, punctuated by Michigan’s blowout loss to USC in the Rose Bowl and Ohio State’s debacle against Florida in the BCS Championship, capped a three-year run of futility in which the league posted the worst bowl record of any BCS conference.
One of the most significant injuries involved All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who played the second half of the season with a sprained right knee. Dorsey was injured on an illegal chop-block against Auburn.
LSU was fortunate to have the next weekend off and Dorsey didn't miss a game, although he was not the same. His ability to explode into the backfield appeared diminished and his role appeared to shift to plugging holes in the line on running plays.
"Injuries do that," LSU defensive tackle Marlon Favorite said. "I'm sure he wanted to rush and push to his full extent, but due to his injury he couldn't, so in his mind he was thinking, 'I have to do what I can.' He did that well."
Dorsey finished as LSU's third-leading tackler with 64 stops, including six sacks and 11.5 tackles for losses. He won a trophy case-full of SEC and national awards.
Dorsey said LSU's defense is eager to send a message of how well it can play when key players are all fresh.
"We're real excited. Everybody started talking down on us when we started giving up points on defense," Dorsey said. "We tried not to listen to that because, I mean, nobody knows what's going on in our locker room. So for us to have an opportunity to be healthy, we can come out and do what we're supposed to do and do what we know how to do."
On offense, LSU's top wide receiver, Early Doucet, was sidelined for most of five games with a groin injury. Starting quarterback Matt Flynn missed an early season start with an ankle sprain and the SEC championship game with a shoulder injury.
Backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux won both starts in Flynn's absence, but if Perrilloux plays against Ohio State, it will be more by design than necessity.
"A lot of our guys were nicked up. That's the fact of the matter and everyone knows that," said Favorite, who played through injuries to both ankles this season. "You give us time to rest and get back on our feet? This is my first time ever dealing with injuries like this and I feel better already."

LSU safety Steltz = Stud

Senior LSU safety Craig Steltz has been a stud for the Tigers this year. Steltz led the nation in picks for the first month of the season and finished wiht a team-high 6 INTS.
Here's a look back at what he did during the year:
11/17/07: Craig Steltz had rally ending interceptions late in each half, one in the end zone, as LSU got past Ole Miss , 41-24. Steltz's stellar play in the backfield also upheld two goal line stands by the Tigers in the first half as the Rebels advanced inside the 5 yard line twice, but came away empty.
09/10/07 - Safety Craig Steltz recorded his fourth interception of the season and ninth of his career late in the first quarter week 2 48-7 win over the Hokies and then added the second sack of his career and first of the season in the fourth quarter.
09/08/07 - LSU lost two four-year starters at safety, including NFL first-round draft choice LaRon Landry, but the new starter at strong safety, Craig Steltz, intercepted three passes in the opener. Landry's replacement at free safety, Carl Taylor, intercepted another. In all, LSU defensive backs intercepted six passes.
09/06/07 - Over the next two seasons Steltz became a staple on special teams and even returned a fourth quarter blocked punt for a 29-yard touchdown in the Tigers' 35-31 come-from-behind victory against Arizona State. Steltz's father, Keith, said special teams was not what his son wanted, but it allowed him to get on the field. "I think that right there got him through, because ... he always felt like his time would come," Keith Steltz said. "He's a team player and he'll do whatever. "By no means do I think it was easy. I think all those kids, when they come from high school, they feel that they're gonna go there and be a star. I don't think any of them think, 'I'm gonna have to wait three years to get my chance to show.'" Because of injuries to former LSU safety Jessie Daniels, Steltz started five games at strong safety from 2005 to 2006 and even tied for the team lead with four interceptions this past season while amassing 42 tackles for seventh-best on the team. - Dailey Reveille
Keith Steltz, Craig's father, is hoping his son wins the big one come January so that he can have two sons with national championships under their belt.
Kevin Steltz was the starting fullback for LSU on Jan. 4, 2004, when the Tigers beat Oklahoma to win the BCS national championship in the Louisiana Superdome - about 15 minutes from the Steltz home in Metairie. Craig Steltz will start at strong safety on Jan. 7, 2008, when the Tigers play Ohio State for the BCS national championship in the Superdome.
"Twice in a lifetime," Keith said Tuesday. "If we win it, we might write a book about it with that title. But we need to win it first. It's been a very unique and wonderful eight years in our lives, and it happened at a time when LSU had its best years."

ESPN's Herbstreit Calls Les, says "Sorry 'Bout Dat"

ESPN and ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit says he called LSU coach Les Miles late Saturday to say he was sorry for messing up his Michigan deal, and pretty much guaranteeing that his children learn at least a bit of Cajun before their teen years.
"I called Les late that night after the Missouri-Oklahoma game and really called for nothing else but to apologize for it becoming such a huge story, such a distraction for him, his team to have to have to deal with," Herbstreit told the Detroit Free Press. "It was never my intent, so that was the one thing that I regretted; it became such a significant story everywhere, everywhere you turned.Looking back, it was easy to see how Les Miles almost left for Michigan."
Michigan's football program is among the most successful in college football history. Michigan won the first Rose Bowl game in 1902, has won an NCAA-record 860 games and has an all-time winning percentage of .745, also an NCAA record. The Wolverine football program has claimed 11 national titles.
LSU has claimed two, but can claim its third in January.
But aside from Herbstreit, what happened to the U-M deal? U-M athletic director Bill Martin had Miles at the top of his list although he was no Miles fan. Miles wanted U-M since he left in 1994.
Now, with a national championship at stake, Miles say Michigan was never on his mind much.
"I've probably spent 15 minutes allowing a personal thought along those lines," he told reporters.

Not true, really. Miles had go-betweens galore at U-M and the Miles camps was prepping for a plane ride. They were even hammering out an agreement.
Word is that Michigan put a five-year deal on the table, and Les wet his lips.
And Miles knew it.
But Bill Martin wanted a face-to-face interview, which couldn't happen until after the SEC title game.
Lloyd Carr, very influential with Martin, did not want Miles at Michigan.
But Friday, LSU hit for the pre-emptive strike: offering Miles more years and more money than he would get from Michigan.
When ESPN prematurely reported Saturday morning that Michigan was expected to hire Miles, that added to the pressure and the real possibility that the coach would be a distraction to LSU with the big game hours away. So Miles, stripped of his freedom of speech by ESPN, backed out by rallying with his senior players like Jacob Hester and Craig Steltz.
Miles' big fear -- that Carr would kill his candidacy -- was apparently never realized. But the possibility of it helped convince Miles to stay.
Also Herbstreit promised one more thing:
"One thing I can assure you, you will never see me gathering news and reporting information ever again."
Well put.

BCS Didn't Stick To Southerner's Creed

The Bowl Championship Series is wrong to let LSU leap over Georgia, especially if you're a Southerner.
Why is it wrong?
Because the decision-making process of the BCS lacks one of the basic ingredients of any system based on Southern sensitivity: common courtesy.
Georgia was in line ahead of LSU. They were IN LINE ahead of LSU! UGA should get the title game.
I love him, but Les Miles is not a Southerner (Elyria, Ohio), so it's natural for him to want to jump UGA, but true Southerners don't like this system.
The computer polls no doubt did their computing. The former coaches and media did their calcuations, but the coaches poll? They acted. like. robots.
Inhuman, basically.
You don't skip people.
That's just Common Courtesy 101. In this country, we're very rewarding to the hard-working, waiting-their-turn guy who played his hand the best he could. He doesn't look for favors, doesn't look for handouts. He just waits his turn. The Georgia Bulldogs waited their turn, and they rose ever so slowly in the rankings.
Now,LSU's leaping of Virginia Tech? I can understand that. They had the benefit of a head-to-head contest. But, the Georgia leap is just wrong. And I'm an LSU fan. I'm happy we made it, but it just seems that college football should have rewarded Georgia with something a little better than a game against Hawaii.
"It should come down to who the voters believe are the two best teams in the nation right now," UGA coach Mark Richt said.
"Let's face it, going into today we were ranked No. 4 in the BCS. They ranked us there for a reason. They believed we belonged there. Two teams lost ahead of us. Everybody knew going in we were not going to play for a conference championship and still they voted us there. They voted us there for a reason and I don't know why that should change right now."
Georgia coach Mark Richt was right. Nowhere in the BCS rules does it say a team must win its conference championship as some prerequisite to play in the national title game. But that rule might as well be there.
As for old Lester, not only did he say before the game that he'd re-up with the Tigers, but the next day he paid tribute to those that gave me another try at erasing the Nick Saban-tasting flavor on the SEC trophy in his arms.
"I'd like to thank the voters," Miles said on Fox's BCS selection show.
The resulting BCS chaos all but assures Georgia fans have circled in big red ink the pending matchup between their Dawgs and the Tigers next year in Baton Rouge.
If LSU was in need of a rival, Georgia has stood up, this time, with a fierce team.
But alas, that's next year. This year, even Big Ten winner Ohio State was on LSU's side to make it to the big game.
"To win the SEC, to win the Big Ten, ACC or Big 12 or Pac-10, that's a major feat in itself," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "To me, that ought to be considered as you think about who plays for the title.
Ohio State (top) and LSU are ranked 1-2 in the latest AP poll.
Miles said: "To me, being from a major conference in this country, those are the teams that should be most considered for the national title game."
I know, I know, Les, but those are Northerner's rules, Southerners don't think like that.