In what was a crisis-filled season for the LSU Tigers, perfection may indeed pay off for coach Les Miles. For the first time in his illustrious coaching career, Miles won the Associated Press’s award for the Coach of the Year.
In the voting, Miles received 30 of the 56 votes cast. Bill Snyder of Kansas State, who led that team to a remarkable comeback this season, finished second with 16. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy finished third with six, Brady Hoke of Michigan with three, and USC’s Lane Kiffin with one vote.
Now, when I first read these results, I thought, good for Coach Miles, good for him. However, then I thought, what about all the other coaches that should have gotten a vote in this race for Coach of the Year?
What about Kevin Sumlin, who nearly led Houston to an undefeated season with quarterback Case Keenum, and only lost in the Conference USA Championship game to Southern Mississippi?
What about Southern Mississippi’s Larry Fedora, who led the team to new all-time highs, including ranking in the BCS?
What about Willie Taggart of Western Kentucky, who led his team back from no wins to bowl eligible and was snubbed from a bowl undeservedly?
What about Mario Cristobal of Florida International, who led the Golden Panthers to their best record in school history?
And what about Louisiana-Lafayette’s Mark Hudspeth, who led the Ragin’ Cajuns to their best season finish and first bowl win in school history?
For the future, I recommend the Associated Press wait on deciding on the Coach of the Year until after the postseason is completed. I further urge them to consider not just the big name coaches at big universities, but also coaches that are making a difference at the schools that don’t get the national attention, that don’t make all the headlines. The Coach of the Year, really shouldn’t just win a lot of games and be able to manage high-profile situations, but also should be considered based on how far the program has progressed.
