Cotton Bowl 2011 may be the final game for Les Miles as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. Before Michigan eventually chose Rich Rodriguez as their coach, Miles was the primary target, and nearly ended up in “maize and blue.” Now, with Jim Harbaugh going to the NFL and Rodriguez officially out, the door is open for Miles to make the switch, and rumor has it he is very interested.
LSU will take on Texas A&M in a clash of the SEC and Big 12. LSU’s stingy defense will face the Aggies’ steady passing attack, and it should be a game of strength-on-strength. As we’ve seen already in BCS Bowl games, these match-ups can be auditions for coaches to obtain bigger and better things.
Harbaugh’s Stanford squad stomped Virginia Tech in the Discover Orange Bowl, and within days it was announced Harbaugh was leaving the Cardinal for a job with the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL. It may be Miles’ turn to show what he’s made of in hopes that Michigan will once again come calling. If indeed Miles comes to Ann Arbor, former Oregon head honcho Mike Bellotti may find his way to Palo Alto and Stanford, and Mike Leach and Ralph Friedgen would experience increased attention at LSU.