In today's game, even with everything he's done at LSU, Les Miles had to go

This is the college football world we live in right now. It’s a world in which Les Miles has to be fired.

LSU, preseason Top 10 in all the polls, lost 18-13 at Auburn on Saturday to fall to 2-2 and out of the Top 25. Less than 24 hours later, Miles is now unemployed and one of the most coveted jobs in America is available.

Clearly, the decision makers in Baton Rouge — remember how close they were to pulling the trigger toward the end of last season? — were looking for a reason to dump Miles. The Tigers almost pulled out a miracle victory on The Plains, but a last-second Danny Etling touchdown pass was waved off because he didn’t get the snap off in time.

You can drive yourself crazy wondering if Miles would still be employed today had that TD not been overturned via replay review.

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Regardless, the Miles era is over for the Bayou Bengals. He departs as the program’s second-winningest coach of all time, going 114-34 in 11-plus seasons. He won double-digit games seven times and went 7-4 in bowls.

Not even the national title he won in 2007, only the third at a school that has fielded a team since 1893, could save Miles. Despite a roster full of four- and five-star recruits and residing in one of the most talent-rich states in the country, he didn’t do enough to maximize said talent on the gridiron.

The most glaring failure was his offense’s inability to develop any sort of a aerial attack the past few seasons.

With Zach Mettenberger at quarterback in 2013, LSU was sixth in the SEC in passing offense. But following his leap to the NFL, the Tigers finished 14th and 11th in 2014 and 2015. They are dead last through four games throwing the ball this season.

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Jennings was a four-star prospect. He completed a horrid 48.4 percent of his throws before transferring to Louisiana-Lafayette, where he’s the starter — and completing passes at a 61.9-percent clip. Brandon Harris was also a four-star signee. He was a career 53.9-percent passer before being benched in Week 2.

Etling, the transfer from Purdue currently starting, was also a four-star kid. He’s barely been better than Harris thus far.

It’s certainly not for a lack of capable skill-position players. Leonard Fournette is a once-in-a-generation talent at running back. Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural are both future pros at wide receiver, too.

However, with seemingly every other program in the nation slinging the ball all over the yard in record-setting fashion, the Tigers are averaging an anemic 147.8 yards per game through the air in 2016 — that’s a good quarter for Ole Miss. The Rebels reside in the same division and recruit the same athletes.

Maybe it was poor coaching. Perhaps it was an archaic system. One way or another, the Bayou Bengals needed to do something differently.

After surviving a coup attempt last fall, Miles spent a good portion of the offseason promising change. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron would be given the opportunity to open things up a bit and modernize the scheme.

But then the Tigers traveled to Lambeau Field for a “neutral site” opener with Wisconsin, and it was much of the same. Harris was only 12-of-21 passing for 131 yards in an 18-16 defeat. He threw a pair of INTs — the second of which was an unforced error on the final drive that sealed his team’s fate.

It took awhile to tip over this vending machine, as Miles is a good coach and an even better man in the community.

Few coaches have had to deal with as many off-the-field issues as Miles. He was there for Hurricane Katrina a decade go. He was there for the social unrest and disastrous flooding this summer. His team played a part in healing Baton Rouge.

Nevertheless, this was a football decision. Miles didn’t win enough. He didn’t beat Alabama enough. With the Crimson Tide apparently an unstoppable juggernaut in the SEC — coupled with the fact that Nick Saban used to be at LSU — boosters wonder why they can’t enjoy the same level of success as they do in Tuscaloosa.

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Keeping up with the Joneses. That’s all this is. Unrealistic as those expectations might be, the Tigers want to be ‘Bama.

Louisiana is broke. Miles is the highest-paid public employee in the Pelican State, so it will cost the university millions upon millions of dollars to buy him out of his contract. Not a penny of taxpayer money will be needed, fortunately.

With the SEC Network an unprecedented cash cow lining the pockets of all 14 member institutions like never before, whatever the figure is — $10 million? $12 million? $15 million? — it’s a drop in the bucket at this point. There will be no need to pass the hat at Death Valley on Saturday when Missouri comes to town.

As far as potential replacements are concerned, résumés are being printed as you read this. Without question, this is a Top 10 job.

RELATED: 5 events that doomed Les Miles at LSU

LSU fans can forget about Jimbo Fisher, though. Even as a former Tigers assistant, that ship has likely sailed. He already makes more money at Florida State and has an easier path to the College Football Playoff.

Former Baylor coach Art Briles — disgraced or not, winning trumps all — will get a call. Speaking of disgraced, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino will get a call, too. Houston’s Tom Herman is probably over his data limit already. People in my profession would surely chip in for Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

Again, this is the college football world we live in right now. Keeping up with the Joneses is now keeping up with Saban.

Les Miles couldn’t. Maybe nobody can. But that won’t stop LSU from trying.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.