BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- One night last week, after even more rain fell here and forced LSUs football team into its indoor practice facility, Tigers coach Les Miles sat in his office, nibbling on a burrito bowl while pondering a reporters question.Has a college football coach ever survived an attempted coup and come back even stronger?As hard as Miles tried, he couldnt immediately remember an example. There were a few times in recent college football history when a group of boosters or an athletics director tried to overthrow a popular coach, but theyve been few and far between. And two of the more-high profile instances in recent history had mixed results.In November 2003, two days before Auburn played Alabama in the Iron Bowl, then-Auburn athletics director David Housel, university president William Walker and two trustees secretly interviewed Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about replacing Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville survived to guide his team to a perfect 13-0 record the next season and spent five more seasons coaching the Tigers.Recently, after Texas was up and down under former coach Mack Brown from 2010 to 2012, two influential UT boosters contacted Nick Sabans agent, Jimmy Sexton, to inquire about the possibility of Saban coaching the Longhorns. Brown made it clear he didnt want to retire and returned, but lasted only one more season. He was forced out after the Longhorns finished 8-5.Now, as Miles begins his 12th season at LSU with Saturdays opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field (3:30 ET, ABC), he finds himself in similar uncertainty.It has been more than nine months since Miles survived a not-so-secret coup attempt that nearly cost him his job. With the Tigers mired in a three-game losing streak heading into their 2015 regular-season finale against Texas A&M, there were widespread media reports that a group of disgruntled and influential boosters were prepared to pay $15 million to fire him.Only after the Tigers defeated the Aggies 19-7 at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 28 did someone in power at LSU finally end the speculation and say Miles was going to remain their coach. LSU president F. King Alexander informed Miles of the decision in the locker room immediately after the game, and then athletics director Joe Alleva broke the news during a postgame news conference.I think there are a lot of reasons for our play through that three-game stretch, Miles said. I felt like I was in good shape.The reports of his demise were so fast and furious during a two-week stretch before the Texas A&M game that he and his players werent sure what was true. Miles, who has guided the Tigers to a 112-32 record, two SEC titles and the 2007 national championship, insists he didnt spend much time figuring out who was conspiring to oust him.Absolutely not, Miles said. I didnt try to spend any time trying to figure it out. It wouldnt have done me any good anyhow. I want to enjoy the people I work with, and thats really the key piece. Did I hear rumors and innuendo? Sure, you betcha. But it doesnt do you any good.Miles couldnt have known at the time that it was only the beginning of what would become an offseason of survival in Baton Rouge. When No. 5 LSU kicks off against the Badgers on Saturday, the Tigers and their fans will finally have reason to cheer. Perhaps no place in the country needs a joyful distraction more.And the past couple of months showed LSU never needed its popular coach more.I signed every kid thats back there, Miles said. I hired every coach. Im at a place where the stadium fills up, and they believe the Tigers are fixing to kick somebodys behind, and Im right there with them. The community and the state have provided great opportunities for my family and this is home. I have never -- not for a second -- thought any differently.For the past two months, Baton Rouge has been at the center of the countrys racial tension. On July 5, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed while being held on the ground by two white police officers. Sterlings death sparked massive protests in Baton Rouge and other cities around the country.On July 17, Gavin Long, a 29-year-old black man from Kansas City, ambushed police officers responding to a 911 call on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, not far from Miles home. Three officers were shot and killed and three others were seriously injured. Miles knew one of the slain officers, Montrell Jackson, a six-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department.We could hear the sirens from our home, Miles said.In the wake of the tragedies, Miles spoke out against violence. He talked to his players about the incidents and encouraged high school coaches across the state to do the same. Miles visited the families of slain and injured police officers, and urged his players to take a more active role in the community to help heal festering wounds.During Baton Rouges greatest time of need, the coach that at least a few LSU boosters no longer wanted took the lead in trying to unite his city.I didnt learn anything new about him because hes good at that stuff, Alleva said. Hes really good in the community and hes really good at stepping up when there are problems and distress. He did it before with Hurricane Katrina. I think hes been very helpful in helping soothe things over and making things better in Baton Rouge.Tragically, even more heartache was yet to come. Earlier this month, the skies opened and more than 20 inches of rain fell on Baton Rouge and other parts of the state. According to meteorologists, the no-named storm dumped three times as much rain on Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Thirteen people were killed and more than 145,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding.East Baton Rouge Parish suffered devastating damage. The parents of a handful of LSU players were affected by flooding, and tight ends coach Steve Ensminger and his family lost their home. Longtime LSU radio announcer Jim Hawthorne and his wife had to be rescued from their house, and LSU athletics department personnel participated in other rescues. The Tigers also opened the Carl Maddox Field House, a track and field venue, as a shelter for displaced residents.Miles wont allow himself to think about what might have happened if he had been coaching somewhere else. After 11 seasons at LSU, he knows the area as well as anyone and is part of its fabric. His four children attended high school in Baton Rouge. His oldest daughter, Kathryn, whom he still calls Smacker, is a swimmer at the University of Texas. His oldest son, Manny, is a backup quarterback at North Carolina, and his youngest son, Ben, a senior fullback at Catholic High, has committed to play at Nebraska next season. His youngest daughter, Macy, is a star softball player.This place is home, Miles said. My children were raised here. When they say they want to come home and see their friends, theyll come to Baton Rouge.If a few LSU boosters had their way, though, Miles wouldnt be coaching the Tigers this season. A common worry among LSU fans: The Tigers are going to waste star tailback Leonard Fournette, much like the mens basketball team wasted forward Ben Simmons last season. Simmons was only the fourth No. 1 pick in the NBA draft who didnt play in the NCAA tournament. LSU fans cant imagine having Fournette for three seasons -- hes expected to enter the NFL draft as a junior after this season -- without winning an SEC championship.One player does not make a team, Alleva said. There have been a lot of examples where theres a great player that has never won a championship. How many championships did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar win in the NBA until he hooked up with Magic Johnson?Last season proved that Fournette cant do it alone. The New Orleans native ran for nearly 2,000 yards in 12 games in 2015 and was considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But as LSUs passing game floundered, defenses eventually found a way to slow him down. After leading the Tigers to a 7-0 record and No. 2 ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings, he averaged only 1.6 yards on 19 carries in a 30-16 loss at Alabama on Nov. 7. Then the Tigers lost their next two games, 31-14 to Arkansas and 38-17 to Ole Miss. It was the first time since 1966 that LSU lost three straight games by 10 points or more.Alleva, who was lured to LSU from Duke in 2008, insists that he never came close to firing Miles, despite the Tigers late-season collapse.My philosophy has always been to evaluate a program at the end of the season, Alleva said. I said I would do that and nobody wanted to listen to me. I guess I could have said after we lost three games, Hes our coach and hes staying. But my deal has always been Ill tell you whats going to happen after the last game. I waited until the last game and said, Hes our coach and hes staying.But others close to the LSU program arent so sure Miles wasnt on the chopping block. Alexander told reporters in December that he made the decision to keep Miles during a meeting with Alleva and members of the LSU Board of Supervisors at halftime of the Texas A&M game. Alexander said he didnt believe paying Miles a $15 million buyout -- as well as another $5 million to pay off his assistant coaches -- was a prudent move at a time when the universitys overall operating budget was being drastically reduced by the state legislature.Alleva admitted to reporters that he made inquiries about coaching candidates in case Miles was fired, but never directly contacted a potential successor. LSUs decision to keep Miles was made on the same day Jimbo Fisher announced he was staying at Florida State. Fisher, a former LSU assistant, was considered the No. 1 candidate to replace Miles if a change was made.At least one former LSU assistant believed the university was working to oust Miles more than two years ago. Former Tigers defensive coordinator John Chavis, now at Texas A&M, told Miles that LSU officials were treating him like former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, who was fired after the 2008 season. Under a new provision added to LSU assistants contracts, their deals wont be fully honored if Miles is fired or resigns.This kind of reminds me of Phillip Fulmer, Chavis told Miles in 2014, according to a deposition filed in LSUs ongoing civil lawsuit against Chavis. LSU is trying to make Chavis pay a $400,000 buyout for leaving for Texas A&M.LSUs players arent sure what would have happened if they hadnt beaten the Aggies to finish the regular season.Everybody in that locker room knew what we were playing for against Texas A&M and we wanted to go out there and do it for him, guard William Clapp said. We really didnt know what the parameters were, but we knew we wanted to win to save his job or win to send him out right. We were going to win for him.After beating the Aggies, the Tigers defeated Texas Tech 56-27 in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl to finish 9-3 (their Sept. 5 opener against FCS foe McNeese State was canceled because of lightning, which probably cost Miles an eighth 10-win season).Nine months later, its still unclear what the Tigers have to do this season for Miles to keep his job. His teams have averaged 10 wins per season and theyve won nearly twice as many games against ranked opponents as theyve lost (42-23 since 2005).He wins 10 or 11 games every year, center Ethan Pocic said. I know its a cutthroat business, but hes won a lot of ballgames.Alleva, who says his relationship with Miles is better than ever before, is taking the same approach as last year: Hell evaluate his coach after the regular season. With 18 starters coming back, the Tigers are expected to challenge Alabama in the SEC West and compete for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.Lets evaluate things: The guy wins about 80 percent of his games, hes a great recruiter, hes really good in the community, and the players really like playing for him, Alleva said. The only knock on him from some places is the kind of offense he runs.After last seasons late collapse, Miles made several changes to his coaching staff. He hired former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to replace Kevin Steele, who left for Auburn. He also hired former Auburn co-offensive coordinator Dameyune Craig to coach receivers and former Louisiana Tech assistant Jabbar Juluke to coach running backs.Miles retained offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who was heavily criticized after LSU ranked 12th in the SEC in passing (180.4 yards per game) in 2015. The Tigers are banking on junior Brandon Harris being much better in his second season as a starter; he completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 2,165 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions last season.Its not just about the quarterback, Alleva said. Its about play selection and having confidence in your quarterback. Two years ago, when we had Zach Mettenberger, we threw the ball all over the place. Its not the fact that Les wont throw the ball, but you have to try to put your kids in positions where they can succeed and not ask too much of them.The other knock on Miles: He cant beat Alabama. The Tigers have dropped five consecutive games to the Crimson Tide, who are coached by Saban, who spent five seasons at LSU and guided the Tigers to the 2003 national title. The Tigers are 5-7 against Alabama under Miles, and havent won a game in the series since a 9-6 overtime victory in 2011. Alabama won the rematch that season, 21-0 in the BCS National Championship.Miles predicament is similar to the one former LSU coach Charlie McClendon faced in the 1960s and 1970s. McClendon had a 137-59-7 record as LSUs coach from 1962 to 1979, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. But his teams had a 2-14 record against Alabama, which was coached by Paul Bear Bryant.Charlie Mac got run out of town here because he couldnt beat Bear Bryant, Alleva said. Well, nobody beat Bear Bryant. Im not saying no one beats Nick Saban, but right now he really has things going well.Miles wont have to worry about Alabama until Nov. 5, when the Crimson Tide come to Tiger Stadium. The first two months of the season will dictate how big that game will be.I think Les has changed, Alleva said. I think we all have, to be honest. I think last November was a good wake-up call for everybody, not just him and me. I think it made everybody better. I think our players have a little chip on their shoulders, and I think everyone is really looking forward to this season. Site Air Max Pas Cher . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Air Max Livraison Gratuite .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. http://www.airmaxfrancepascher.fr/ . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat. Air Max Pas Cher En Ligne . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Air Max France . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments.After his hat-trick at Chelsea, can Man Citys Sergio Aguero clinch the Premier League Golden Boot? While Leicester and Tottenham focus on English footballs top prize, up to five players also have their sights set on another award.Agueros treble at Stamford Bridge has lifted him to within one goal of leading marksman Harry Kane, while Jamie Vardy, Romelu Lukaku and even Riyad Mahrez also have eyes on the summit. So who will join the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo in lifting the top-goalscorer gong? Here, we take an in-depth look at the contest... Previous Golden Boot winners Season Player Team Goals 2014/15 Sergio Aguero Man City 26 2013/14 Luis Suarez Liverpool 31 2012/13 Robin van Persie Man Utd 26 2011/12 Robin van Persie Arsenal 30 2010/11 Dimitar Berbatov Man Utd 20 Carlos Tevez Man City 20 State of playIts Tottenhams Kane who leads the way with 22 goals, the latest of which earned Spurs a point at Anfield in early April. Harry Kane leads the Golden Boot race with 22 goals However, Aguero and Leicester striker Vardy are just one back. Everton frontman Lukaku is on 18 but his goals appear to have dried up following his breath-taking start to the campaign. Mahrez, meanwhile, completes the quintet on 16 goals having handed over the goalscoring mantle to Foxes team-mate Vardy in recent weeks. Remaining fixturesAhead of Sundays fixtures, Kane, Aguero, Vardy and Mahrez have just five matches remaining to add to their respective tallies.Kanes Tottenham travel away to Stoke, Chelsea and Newcastle in their final five games and welcome West Brom and Southampton to White Hart Lane. That run of games could benefit Kane, with 12 of his 22 goals coming on the road for Mauricio Pochettinos side.Leicesters fixtures fall opposite to their main title rivals Spurs, with three of their remaining five games taking place at the King Power Stadium. This slight adjustment is unlikely affect Vardy, whose 21 goals are split 11 at home and 10 away. Could Romelu Lukaku make a late surge for the Golden Boot? Its a different story for Mahrez, though. Only four of his 16 league goals have come at home, and with tough trips to Manchester United and Chelsea accounting for the remaining away fixtures, his challenge could well be weakened.Lukakus 18 goals have been evenly split at home and away so the only advantage he may receive comes by the fact he has at least one games advantage on his rivals.Thirteen of Agueros 21 goals have come at the Etihad Stadium, but he will not have the luxury of home comforts, with three of Manchester Citys final five games coming on the road. Remaining fixtures Harry Kane Jamie Vardy Sergio Aguero Romelu Lukaku Stoke (a) West Ham (h) - - Newcastle (a) Liverpool (a) West Brom (h) Swansea (h) Stoke (h) - Chelsea (a) Man Utd (a) Soton (a) Bmouth (h) Soton (h) Everton (h) Arsenal (h) Leicester (a) - - - Sunderland (a) Newcastle (a) Chelsea (a) Swansea (a) Norwich (h) Repeat performance?Remarkably, Lukaku and Aguero would share the Golden Boot if they were to repeat their goalscoring form against their remaining opponents.ddddddddddddThe Belgian, who has played two games fewer than Kane, Vardy and Mahrez, and one game fewer than Aguero, notched an impressive eight goals in the corresponding fixtures - a repeat would take his tally to 24 goals.Aguero would also finish on 24 goals, with his current tally of 21 boosted by a further three goals he scored against Newcastle. Will Vardy or Mahrez add the Golden Boot to a potential Premier League winners medal? Kane and Vardy would be tied third, with the pair adding just one and two goals to their current tallies if they were to replicate their goals from earlier on in the season.Mahrez, meanwhile, would remain fifth despite scoring six goals in the corresponding fixtures first time around. It appears the Algerian may have too big a gap to bridge. Golden Boot 15/16 (if results repeated) Player Team Current total Goals in reverse fixtures Total Romelu Lukaku Everton 18 +6 24 Sergio Aguero Man City 21 +3 24 Harry Kane Tottenham 22 +1 23 Jamie Vardy Leicester 21 +2 23 Riyad Mahrez Leicester 16 +6 22 Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapps verdictAgueros hat-trick at Chelsea has blown the whole Golden Boot race wide open. Its great to see two English players in the mix and Id love to see one them do it. Is Aguero going to play every game with the Champions League semi-finals coming up for Man City? Is Manuel Pellegrini going to rest him? He took him off with five minutes to go against Chelsea and hes had muscle injuries in the past.As for Lukaku, I think he might just have a bit too much to do. Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness verdictThere might be an element with Aguero that he needs to play to be at his best. Strikers have to be at their sharpest, at it all the time. Looking at his shape, I think hes someone who needs to be worked all the time and cant be rested too much.Id like to think as well hes someone who wouldnt want to miss a training session or a game, knocking on the managers door, saying he wants to be part of everything going on. Who do you think will hold their nerve and claim this seasons Golden Boot? Leave a comment below or tweet us @SkyFootball Also See: Premier League video Fixtures Table Live on Sky ' ' '