College Football: 5 head coaches that aren’t taking over at your school

2. Les Miles

Les Miles is one of those polarizing figures that is either loved or hated. The Mad Hatter’s antics are legendary, right down to his penchant for tasting the turf in tense situations. But while it is fun to goof on Miles, it must also be remembered that he is among the most successful college coaches who is not currently leading a college program.

In recent years, before his termination last season, Miles’ teams had a reputation for offensive ineptitude. But LSU was not always mediocre under Miles when they had the football. In his first seasons in Baton Rouge, with Gary Crowton as his offensive coordinator, LSU finished in the top 12 nationally in scoring offense in both 2006 and 2007. They won the national title in his third season with the Tigers.

And before that it wasn’t like Miles was an unknown commodity. In 2001, Les Miles took over an Oklahoma State team that had been to one bowl game since Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy as a Cowboy in 1988. After a rebuilding year, Oklahoma State went to three straight bowl games before Miles moved on to LSU. He has succeeded at several stops along the way, bolstering his credibility.

With 141 victories to his name and a 71.9 percent career winning percentage, Les Miles is just an average season away from passing the 150 mark in his career. That season won’t be 2018, though, as Miles remains outside the ranks of college coaches for another year.