Rival Views: Should Orgeron be LSU's permanent coach?

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate whether LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron should get the permanent job after his team’s performance against Alabama.

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As I’ve said from the start, unless Orgeron runs the table, the LSU job should be wide open and a national search should ensue. With a 10-0 loss to Alabama last Saturday, there will be no table-running for Mr. Orgeron.

While the LSU players were charged up and gave a spirited effort against Alabama, had you not known which head coach was in charge – Orgeron or Les Miles – would you have been able to tell the difference? LSU still struggled mightily on offense, Leonard Fournette was still shut down and while the play calling was better than last year, the scheme and overall design of the offense wasn’t overly impressive.

Yes, I know Orgeron is a defensive coach, so he’s not the one to fault for an offense that couldn’t score, but as the head coach, everything falls upon his head. And once again LSU lost to Alabama. Case closed.

Should Orgeron be in the mix when a national search starts? Yes. He’s a Louisiana native, his players love him and he brings a ton of passion to the position. But he should not be handed the job without feelers being sent out to some big names.

If LSU had won the game, had the offense looked effective against that great ‘Bama defense and had Orgeron been somehow able to get the Tigers over the hump, I would still say LSU should wait and see how the rest of the season plays out. But I’d obviously be leaning more Oregon’s way. Right now, I see a team that has rolled over some average opponents since he took over but still fell short of the ultimate goal, beating Alabama and being a factor down the stretch for the SEC West.

There was a report during game week that if LSU beat Alabama on Saturday night, Ed Orgeron would land the full-time job.

That did not happen as the Crimson Tide beat LSU, 10-0, in a defensive battle that showed off two of the nation’s top teams and arguably the best night environment in college football.

LSU did not win. Orgeron should still get the job.

Since taking over for Les Miles after a 2-2 start and an offense that was going absolutely nowhere, the Tigers have come alive in a major way by blowing out Missouri, Southern Miss and Ole Miss.

The Tigers got blanked by Alabama, but it held the Crimson Tide scoreless for three quarters and had some chances to pull the upset throughout the game.

Sure, LSU’s offense still has some major problems – Fournette had only 35 rushing yards on 17 carries and QB Danny Etling had only 92 passing yards and was sacked five times – but that also speaks to Alabama’s phenomenal defense.

I get that Tom Herman is a hot name in coaching circles and someone like Lane Kiffin has recouped his reputation by being a tremendous offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide, but Orgeron has proven – especially Saturday night in a loss – that he’s the right man for the job.

He will be able to recruit like no other in the state and will battle to the end so top kids don’t leave the state. He has a passion for the program, he’s an in-state guy and Orgeron pacing the sidelines just seems to make a whole lot of sense for too many reasons.