Livin’ B1G: Les Miles, Meet Purdue Twitter


Purdue fans’ entertaining pursuit of Les Miles, which Big Ten team might have an actual shot at landing the Mad Hatter and reliving Wisconsin’s beatdown of Michigan State in Livin’ B1G.


Editor’s Note: Livin’ B1G normally runs on Monday’s; however due to a website switchover, embedded tweets were not showing in a live post until Wednesday.  After a heated discussion with the author, the editorial team decided to hold the piece until it could be properly displayed on the site. Peace was eventually brokered over a bottle of Blanton’s and the promise of a public apology.  

I see you there, Purdue dreamers.

It didn’t take you long after LSU fired coach Les Miles to Boiler Up, band together and share your thoughts on how new athletic director Mike Bobinski should woo Miles and bring him to West Lafayette.

Some made their thoughts perfectly clear:

Others were willing to toss exorbitant amounts of money that isn’t theirs at Miles:

There’s even a petition!

And just in case Miles doesn’t have Google Maps installed on his phone…

I’m sure all of this makes Darrell Hazell feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The fan base that wanted him gone long before Miles became available publicly is forming a convoy waiting to take Hazell and his staff to the nearest Greyhound station to make room for the Mad Hatter.

And I can appreciate the passion. Wanting your team to succeed following years of mediocrity and embarrassment by hiring the right coach is normal. Believe me, I’ve been there. But there’s just one tiny problem in this situation:

Les Miles is not going to Purdue. Not even for “a trillion dollars.” Miles lost 34 times in 11-plus years at LSU and sat in the midst of a recruiting hotbed. Purdue has lost 31 games in three-plus years under Hazell and hasn’t won 10 games since 1979. Building a program with no tradition from the ground up isn’t something Miles is willing to do. Boilermakers fans have a better shot at convincing Angelina Jolie to make a home in West Lafayette after her split from Brad.

But I certainly appreciate the enthusiasm, Purdue fans! It’s definitely entertaining.

… The Boilermaker faithful wasn’t the only group of supporters from the Big Ten taking notice of Miles’ availability. Penn State coach James Franklin has drawn the ire of many in State College because of a 16-14 record in two-plus seasons. The Nittany Lions are expecting much more after the fallout of the abuse scandal and aren’t going to take mediocrity much longer, especially if Franklin continues electing for a 21-yard field goal when down 28-0.

Hopefully Franklin didn’t delve too far into Twitter following Penn State’s 49-10 loss at No. 4 Michigan on Saturday.

A Miles-Penn State marriage seems more feasible than Miles ending up in Purdue’s mess. At least there’s some tradition to build on and previous glory days to revisit – reasons why top-level recruits have listened even without a solid recruiter like Miles talking to them.

Imagine Miles, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and Mark Dantonio all coaching against each other in the Big Ten East. Yikes.

… Speaking of my Spartans – ouch. Wisconsin laid the smack down on Michigan State, 30-6, in East Lansing on Saturday as I sat in stunned silence for the majority of it. It made me want to vanish into thin air like Coach D.

I’ve spent the better part of the past three years telling everyone how big of a mistake they were making for underestimating Dantonio and the Spartans. Now I’m pulling a John L. Smith and smacking myself for not respecting the Badgers enough.

Michigan State is going to need to prove itself all over again after that loss. Wisconsin, meanwhile, heads back to Michigan this weekend to face the Wolverines and make its case for a Spartan-esque unlikely run to the College Football Playoff.

… Jabrill Peppers still hasn’t accepted my plea for friendship yet. Sad face.

… I’ll always get a kick out of embarrassing moments for Michigan, especially considering how good the Wolverines are and how much I hate to admit it. So when Jourdan Lewis was crushed by portly Penn State kicker Joey Julius, I got a hearty laugh while watching the video over and over.

… It’s Mentor vs. Understudy in Columbus on Saturday, as Urban Meyer faces his former co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who is in his first year as the head coach for Rutgers. Unfortunately for Ash, he’ll likely be looking like Bette Midler’s understudy after dropping her frankfurter.

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