Les Miles has finally shown USC some respect.

In recent weeks LSU coach Les Miles has come to epitomize Trojan envy. Maybe it’s because the Tigers rank behind the Trojans in basically every national pre-season poll. It could be because USC keeps beating out LSU’s recruiters, consistently drawing more top talent than the Tigers and even stealing Louisiana’s top running back Joe McKnight. And perhaps Les is just jealous that despite his impressive AP finishes, bowl titles and win-record he always ends up behind “coach charming” Pete Carroll in the media’s many best coaching polls. For whatever reason, Les Miles has been throwing verbal tissy-fits, whining about how difficult the SEC is and how easy USC has it in the Pac-10.

First of all let’s talk about LSU’s upcoming juggernaut opponents. This 2007 season LSU plays the SEC’s own Mississippi State and Ole Miss who together combined for 7 wins and 17 losses last season. Wow, Les…you got some real tough ones there. And LSU’s non-conference games pit the Tigers against a whopping Middle Tennessee and Tulane. You got yourself some real title contenders there. Yeah right. That’s okay, Les…your little Tigers probably have to rest their little paws after playing in such a difficult conference, right? That’s why you choose such push over non-conference teams. Not because it’s easy. Not because they will inflate your BCS chances. But because your conference is just so hard, your little boys need to get some rest. I mean Sports Illustrated just ranked USC’s schedule 8th toughest in the nation for this upcoming season, while LSU was ranked 18th. But what do they know about sports anyway?

Low and behold, Les Miles just yesterday pulled his foot from his mouth long enough to spit out an apology…of sorts. Below are segments from the Austin American Statesman:

“Hey, this is a bad news time,” said Miles, a guest on ESPN’s “College Football Live.” “That’s all there could be. I can only tell you that I have great respect for the Pac-10 Conference as a whole. I can tell you USC has been a great team – no matter what anybody says – for years and certainly we would love to be in the national championship game.”

Les Miles on Pete Carroll:

“I would only hope that Pete Carroll is not concerned with any of this conversation,” he said. “It’s nothing but speculative and so far away from a season’s end and so close to a beginning to a very important schedule for both he and I.”

College football is not about whining. It is not about complaining. It is about playing smart, playing tough
and it is about winning. End of story.

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