NCAAF News – Les Miles Suing Over Vacated Wins/Odds to Win SEC

Scott Morris | June 19, 2024

Les Miles, former head football coach of the Louisiana St. Tigers, is suing the school over vacated wins during his tenure at Baton Rouge. This lawsuit comes after Miles was informed he was unable to be considered as a College Football Hall of Fame candidate due to those wins being deleted off his record.

Miles had a terrific run in the Bayou, leading the LSU program (114-34 [before vacated wins], 2005-2016) to a national title in 2007. Miles isn’t just suing his former school, but also the aforementioned College Football Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation as well.

The school voluntarily vacated 37 wins in 2023, that after the NCAA found that it had committed recruiting violations under Miles. A former booster, convicted of embezzlement, paid a six-figure sum to the father of guard Vadal Alexander, Miles losing ‘institutional control’ of the program.

Those ‘lost’ wins were significant, having left Miles now with a winning percentage of just .597. Coaches need a winning percentage of at least .600 to be recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame, hence the reason Miles entered into the lawsuit.

Miles led the Tigers to the aforementioned title in ‘07, winning a pair of SEC championships in the process. The 70-year-old Miles also coached at Oklahoma St. and Kansas in a two-decade (2001-20) career. Miles, fired by Louisiana St. after a 2-2 start in 2016, was also fired in Lawrence (2020) after accusations of improper conduct involving female Louisiana St. students.

Back to LSU, which served a self-imposed postseason ban during the 2021 season due to recruiting violations that occurred during Miles’ tenure.

Putting the Miles saga aside and looking ahead to 2024, there are a couple of schools dominating the wagering as far as the Southeastern Conference is concerned.

Here are the current odds to win the conference, which has a new look this season…

Two Clear Favorites

Carson Beck and Ga are favored this year to win it all Looking at the odds to win the Southeastern Conference, a pair of schools stand out right away. One is always a favorite, while the other team makes its initial imprint in the SEC.

The Georgia Bulldogs are the 2-1 (+200) early favorite to win the Southeastern Conference in 2024, according to college football conference odds. Georgia is basically a lock to get into the conference title each season, again returning a roster that’s loaded.

UGA is also the 13-4 (+325) choice to win the title, as per college football championship odds.

Then, there’s the new kid in town. The Texas Longhorns were in the College Football Playoff a season ago, something the ‘Dawgs couldn’t claim. Texas is priced at 5-2 (+250) to win the SEC.

The Other Contenders

There may be at least one other school lurking in the weeds when it comes to winning the SEC.

The Ole Miss Rebels have their share of supporters in and out of Oxford, third choice on the board at 13-2 (+650), Mississippi seems to be moving in the right direction, but whether it can take down a giant or two remains to be seen.

Alabama’s Crimson Tide are entering the post-Nick Saban era at 9-1 (+900), while the aforementioned Tigers of Louisiana St. are a 19-2 (+950) proposition. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Volunteers begin the list of double-figure entities at 10-1 (+1000), with the Missouri Tigers at a dozen-to-one (+1200).

Rest of Board

If you believe the board, there are some schools with virtually no chance of winning the Southeastern Conference. That list includes the Texas Longhorns’ long-time (Southwest, Big 12) conference running mate, the Oklahoma Sooners. OU is 35-1 (+3500) as it joins Texas in joining the SEC.

Do not even eyeball any teams further down than the Vols, as the top tier of the conference is just too good.

We’re nothing if not fair, so here’s the list of longshots to win the Southeastern Conference…