By MATT VAUTOUR
LSU couldn’t wait another minute to get rid of Les Miles.
If the Tigers’ would-be last-minute game-winning touchdown wasn’t overturned by replay, LSU would have beaten Auburn on Saturday and Miles would presumably still be the coach.
But LSU officials looked like they’d been waiting for any excuse to cut him loose and Saturday’s loss was good enough.
LSU (2-2) wants to win national championships. If it doesn’t think Miles can do that, it’s obviously fine to fire him.
But why do it four games into the season? September firings are usually reserved for scandals and coaches who have never been successful. It’s usually the sign of a panicking administration.
There’s no real value to getting a head start on the coaching search. It’s not like LSU can pry Tom Herman away from Houston midseason and other schools are going to try to use LSU’s upheaval uncertainty to convince its committed recruits to reopen the process.
Miles had questionable play-calling and clock management at LSU, but off the field he was a great ambassador for the school and role model for his players. It’s fair to fire a guy like that, but it’s cheap to embarrass him by doing it in September.
It’s especially weak given his loyalty to LSU over the years.
Miles chose to stay in Baton Rouge when Michigan, his alma mater, courted him in 2011. He turned down the Wolverines again in 2014.
On top of that, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the severe flooding this summer, Miles and his players helped with cleanup, food distribution and morale.
This was a good man. LSU could have and should have waited until November.
GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson, Saturday, 8 p.m. ABC — The winner becomes a big favorite in the ACC and Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson is as good a matchup of dual-threat quarterbacks as there is.
PLAYOFF BOUND: Alabama, Houston, Michigan and Clemson.
IF I HAD A HEISMAN VOTE — Jackson. The Louisville QB has already sprinted out to the front. If he leads the Cardinals to a win Saturday, he’ll put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.
FINALLY — Every game the Buffalo Bills lose moves Rex Ryan one game closer to his inevitable destiny of being a really good college coach.
Most experts think if Ryan gets the boot in Buffalo that he’ll land on TV, where he’d also be a natural.
But there’s a Pete Carroll comparison to be made between Ryan and the Carroll, who was a great defensive mind, but bad head coach in New York and New England before a terrific stint at Southern Cal.
Ryan’s personality and his NFL experience will make players want to play for him.
He’d certainly be worth the gamble for a struggling mid-level Power 5 school looking to grab some attention or for an elite school that gets turned down by their first couple of choices. If neither Herman nor Jimbo Fisher bite at what LSU offers, Ryan would not only be a face-saving hire, but a terrific one.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage