Is Les Miles a better college football coach than Bobn Stoops?

[TUSooner]

Don't get your skivvies in a wad! It's an academic exercise!

I WANT Bob to be the best. I HATE LSU. I want to believe Bob is better than Les, but I am not taking it for granted any more without some reasonable support. I follow both teams (hoping LSU will lose and OU will win), and If I were a coach of a half-way decent team, I'd want to play vs OU rather than LSU in a big game. That's because my impression is that Les mostly wins big games, while OU often loses them, especially if they "should win."

Please try to offer a civil and reasonable response. If you have nothing intelligent to add, stay away. Add don't give me that, "Well, if it's not obvious to you, I can't explain it to you" cop-out crapola. I reserve the right to neg jackwad responses like that.


Possible arguments or issues:
*Their winning percentages at their current "flagship" schools are similar.
*Same number of MNC's.
*Bob's been in more MNC games, but lost more
*Les wins more bowl games, I think.
*LSU under Les is almost never blown out.
*LSU under Les is almost always in every game at the end and wins a lot of them, in a tougher conference.
*LSU plays with guts and confidence in tough spots. OU... well you tell me.
*When Less calls a trick, it works.
*Like Bob & OU (I think) LSU graduates most players, and Les gets rid of trouble makers.
*Bob can mismanage the end of a game (see Mizzou) a badly as Les.
*LSU relies on a "solid & reliable" defense, OU relies on an "intricate & fragile" offense.

Show me - PLEASE show me - why Bob is better. And please correct any erroneous presumptions.

[XingTheRubicon]

99-03 Bob Stoops is better than just about anyone.

4 million dollars a year Bob Stoops = John Cooper

[BoulderSooner79]

You do have to hand it to LSU this year. With a very suspect offense, they have managed last second wins against UF and the Vols. They beat 'Bama and had a 4th qtr tie against Auburn even though though the Tigers were killing them statistically. Les has fielded a scrappy bunch this year.

[Shiznitttt]

Better question I think is if you could have anyone coaching OU who would you pick? I really can't think of anyone else, and I have been pretty disappointed for the last couple of years.

[UTsucks]

I don't think Les is better or worse just had better luck! He is the king of 4th down go for it. Most of the time they make it. Yesterday's game against bama they used a fake FG and punt (both to perfection I might add). Without those play's working they probably lose. Again call it what you want. OU tried a fake FG which should have been a TD right?

I do feel Les has a better STAFF then Bob. Trust me I hear it all the time from the LSU fan base here in Dallas. I can't show you how Bob is better.

[Soonermagik]

Better is a relative term. They both have strengths and weaknesses. This is kind of a knee jerk reaction thread, IMHO. Les has horrible clock management and appears to be lost at times. LSU could still lose several games. Also, it's no lie that his job was on the hot seat this year; whereas Stoops job was never in question.

I do give Les an edge with the balls to call trick plays on a frequent basis. However, Stoops fake field goal was perfect and likely a game winner if caught. That is not about coaching.. that's a player dropping the ball.

Thus, Les is more likely to try crazy stuff, which is hero or zero type stuff. Stoops likes to try to play defense and play it close to the vest to squeak out a close game. I prefer the crazy stuff myself, but I understand Bob's logic. Plus, he did try to win the game last night with the fake, but it didn't happen due to a player dropping the ball. I will agree that Stoops must find a way to get this team to play better on the road!!

[TUSooner]

Better is a relative term. They both have strengths and weaknesses. This is kind of a knee jerk reaction thread, IMHO. Les has horrible clock management and appears to be lost at times. LSU could still lose several games. Also, it's no lie that his job was on the hot seat this year; whereas Stoops job was never in question.

I do give Les an edge with the balls to call trick plays on a frequent basis. However, Stoops fake field goal was perfect and likely a game winner if caught. That is not about coaching.. that's a player dropping the ball.

Thus, Les is more likely to try crazy stuff, which is hero or zero type stuff. Stoops likes to try to play defense and play it close to the vest to squeak out a close game. I prefer the crazy stuff myself, but I understand Bob's logic. Plus, he did try to win the game last night with the fake, but it didn't happen due to a player dropping the ball. I will agree that Stoops must find a way to get this team to play better on the road!!

Cool, except it's not a knee-jerk question: I have been stewing over it for a couple of years, living in tigah country I couldn't help it.

[PalmBeachSooner]

LSU definitely has a better defense. I think that's why they are able to win games they otherwise would have no chance given the schmitty offense they have. Does the HC get all the credit for that? Probably. After all, he is the one who hires the assistants.

I think it would do OU good to get some new assistants.

[Soonermagik]

Cool, except it's not a knee-jerk question: I have been stewing over it for a couple of years, living in tigah country I couldn't help it.

I understand thinking that way. Let's put it in perspective though, Les beat a horrible Florida team.. by the skin of his teeth. He beat a Bama team that is good, but nowhere near as good as last year.. at home.

Les is a good coach, but better than Stoops... I don't know. I remember Les getting hammered by Stoops several times. I will probably get negged for this, but I think Pete Carroll was the best college coach I've seen in a long time. He was a great recruiter, motivator, great play caller etc.. Then again, maybe it was the free houses and fancy cars that got him there. Here come the negs.

[wishbonesooner]

You would have a hard time making the argument that Bob is still hungry. Have you seen the castle he's building? Les may not be as good a coach, but he's still hungry.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

I like Bob and wish we had Mike back. Other than that, I can't jack with the coaches much. Wilson called an odd game yesterday and it'd be nice if I felt that he was a genius like Leach... we always have a good offense.

My biggest gripe and edge that I would give Les is his recruiting. We get awesome players. We rarely get 5 star players. They always go to LSU, Fla, TX, tOSU, USC, etc. We take a wad of great players and compete at the highest level. I love that. I think we miss out on a few superstars though. And what about a kicker? Why is that such a low priority?

The only guy that I think compares to Stoops (yes over Carroll... he was a cheat and recruited to Disneyland with hookers) is Nick Saban... and I hate Nick Saban.

[OUthunder]

I don't think Les is better or worse just had better luck! He is the king of 4th down go for it. Most of the time they make it. Yesterday's game against bama they used a fake FG and punt (both to perfection I might add). Without those play's working they probably lose. Again call it what you want. OU tried a fake FG which should have been a TD right?

I do feel Les has a better STAFF then Bob. Trust me I hear it all the time from the LSU fan base here in Dallas. I can't show you how Bob is better.

I don't believe in luck. OK, maybe once or twice, but if it's luck, he's the luckiest SOB coaching today. He has balls, and he's a riverboat gambler. Plus, you can't be that bad and had success like he has, at the places he's been.

[oumartin]

99-03 Bob Stoops is better than just about anyone.

4 million dollars a year Bob Stoops = John Cooper

There may have never been a more true statement ever made. Props

Yep, luck is only luck one or twice. After that it's just plain good. Les is a great college football coach. He is just scatterbrained.

Who would I pick to run this program? Chris Peterson over anyone else. Keep your Dan Hawkins comments to yourself. He aint Dan Hawkins.

Now, if Bob would swallow a little humble pie and realize there needs to be change and went and got a Saban guy like Kirby Smart to coach the defense and go back to an offense that could line up and run it when they needed to I would love for nobody else but Bob to lead this team.

I love Bob because he is a good coach and a much better human being. However the current staff has some major issues.

[rainiersooner]

Quantitative analysis aside (wins, BCS wins, margins of defeat/victory, etc.), how about a market theory analysis? If you were Joe C. and Lester was available, who amongst you would fire Stoops and hire the Lester?

Thought so.

[landrun]

Let me ask you this.
If Les is our coach, do we lose to atm and Mizzou this year? If Bob is LSU's coach, do they beat Bama and Florida?

.... something to think about.

[Football Jim]

They didn't name him Les for nothing. Stoops will continue to be successful at OU long after Les Miles is history at LSU.

[StoopTroup]

I love Bob because he is a good coach and a much better human being.

That one of the best and nicest posts I think i've ever seen you make.

[StoopTroup]

Let me ask you this.
If Les is our coach, do we lose to atm and Mizzou this year? If Bob is LSU's coach, do they beat Bama and Florida?

.... something to think about.

Or do we lose the 1st 3 Home games too?

[oumartin]

That one of the best and nicest posts I think i've ever seen you make.

I am typically a nice guy until I get around your internet jerks!

[Okie35]

They didn't name him Les for nothing. Stoops will continue to be successful at OU long after Les Miles is history at LSU.

Pretty much. Plus Miles inherited his success at the beginning.