When it comes to wits, Tressel miles ahead of Les

Freeman: Miles dumb? Get smart, people

LSU coach Les Miles is lucky the BCS national championship game isn't a board game between the coaches. If they were playing checkers, Ohio State's Jim Tressel would quadruple-jump Miles into submission. If they were playing chess, Miles would ask to play checkers.

I don't think Les Miles is very smart. Sorry, I don't. He doesn't look smart, for one thing. He could have been the lead character in Sling Blade. His eyes are too close together. I bet I could jam a thumb over the bridge of his nose and poke both pupils.

You're darn right Jim Tressel has the upper hand in this coaching matchup. (AP)

Looks can be deceiving, of course. Despite looking dumb, Les Miles could actually be smart. Except he doesn't act smart. And this is why he cannot beat Jim Tressel on Monday night in the BCS title game.

At some point the game between these two evenly matched teams -- easily two of the top four teams in the country, behind Southern Cal and Georgia -- will come down to a coaching battle of wits, and that's simply not fair. Tressel is cold and calculating, a coaching reptile. Miles is a nitwit.

Here's what I know, and it's all I need to know: Miles risked this entire season, and his entire reputation, on the Michigan job. That thing came open at a bad time for Miles, a Michigan alumnus. There's no question about that. The timing wasn't Miles' fault, but what happened next was.

Miles clearly had people negotiating with Michigan on his behalf, even as LSU was preparing to play Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game, and when the Miles-Michigan dalliance hit the media, all hell broke loose in both states.

Every day was a disaster, media asking players if they were distracted and Miles trying to play it cool and Michigan smugly carrying on as if it had its next coach -- Les Miles -- in the bag.

Somehow LSU overcame the distractions created by its head coach, beating Tennessee for the SEC title and, lo and behold, a spot in the BCS Championship Game.

You ask me, LSU got lucky that day. LSU won't get lucky against Ohio State, and it has nothing to do with the talent. On a player-for-player basis, LSU probably has more speed and skill than Ohio State. The recruiting rankings over the past four years would say so. The 2008 NFL Draft scouting reports would say the same. Ohio State has talent ... but LSU has more.

But when it comes to coaching, LSU has Les.

Which means Ohio State has more.

You know how I feel about Les Miles. Now let's discuss Tressel.