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If Ed Orgeron has a dream, don’t bet against it coming true.
Surely, it was from some fantastical slumber that this scenario came up: He gets his dream job, head coach at LSU, in the midst of chaos. And not only does he deliver on the job, his team rolls.
The Tigers not only correct their big weakness (offense), they set a school record for yards in an SEC game.
That all happened in LSU’s 42-7 trouncing of Missouri on Saturday and, to make it even better, his son was a couple hours away, scoring his first collegiate touchdown.
You can’t make this stuff up.
So what’s the bigger dream for Orgeron? It’s a relevant question because you can now believe in his dreams. They’re proven to come true.
A bigger dream for Orgeron? That would be the one where he gets the job permanently, and not just as an “interim” as he is now. And the one where he earns it by winning the Tigers their first national championship under a coach from Louisiana.
Impossible?
Maybe. But maybe not.
Sure, LSU is 3-2 and the chances of a two-loss team making the College Football Playoff is pretty tiny these days.
But hey, a team that could barely put together first downs the week before isn’t supposed to roll up a school-record 634 yards of offense against Missouri, right?
So it could happen, and why not? This is already the only school ever to win a national championship with two losses.
Let’s look at the dream, Orgeron style, moving forward.
Oct. 8 — In the “Drew Brees Bowl,” matching former Purdue quarterbacks, Danny Etling gets tips from Brees (another Boilermaker) and it makes the difference. He throws for 320 yards and Austin Appleby is not so good. LSU wins, 31-14.
Oct. 15 — While LSU is handling a pretty good Southern Miss team, Tennessee loses a heartbreaker to Alabama, getting knocked from the undefeated when Alabama throws a Hail Mary at the end to win it. Karma bites the Vols.
Oct. 20 — General Motors decides to start making Hummers again (hey, a man can dream).
Oct. 22 — In the “Coach O” Bowl, the Ole Miss Rebels play like they did when O was their coach, which means poorly. LSU wins, 48-10, but Orgeron doesn’t challenge any Ole Miss players to a wrestling match.
Oct. 29 — While LSU is celebrating Halloween, Washington loses to Utah, proving nobody in the Pac-12 wants to play for championships any more.
Nov. 5 — Leonard Fournette’s ankle is healed after the idle week, O lines him up at wide receiver against Alabama and he has 200 yards receiving in LSU’s 42-30 upset of the Tide. Because O knows better than running him right at Alabama’s front like last year.
Nov. 12 — It’s discovered that nobody in the Big 12 would be bowl-eligible this year. LSU wins at Arkansas. USC plays like it did when O was the interim coach, beating Washington just to make sure the Pac-12 will be irrelevant.
Nov. 26 –– After beating South Alabama on Nov. 19, LSU beats Texas A&M again and Kevin Sumlin starts to lobby to move to the SEC East just to get away from LSU. Meanwhile, Alabama goes to the final play of the Iron Bowl tied with Auburn and facing a 57-yard field goal attempt to win it. But remembering the “Kick Six” and also recalling beating Tennessee on a Hail Mary, Nick Saban decides to throw the deep ball again. But it’s intercepted and returned 109 yards for a touchdown and Auburn hands Alabama a second loss.
Dec. 3 — Tennessee rides into the SEC Championship Game 11-1, but LSU wins, 59-0 — Hey, it’s O’s dream, right? — and a two-loss LSU team all of a sudden looks like a Playoff team. Meanwhile 13-0 Ohio State, 13-0 Clemson and 13-0 Houston are solid Playoff teams, and 11-1 Stanford looks like a sure bet … until it loses to 8-4 UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. Asked after the game about the Pac 12’s chances at landing a team in the College Football Playoff, Bruins coach Jim Mora, Jr. says, “Playoff? You kidding me? Playoff?”
Dec. 5 — LSU gets in as a No. 4 seed and will play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Houston and Clemson will meet in the Peach Bowl.
Dec. 7 — In an interview with ESPN studio host Les Miles, Coach O reveals that he has the permanent job at LSU. Miles complements him for his “want” to make the program “best” and notes that Orgeron has a “damn fine football team.” He then puts on a Tiger mascot head.
Dec. 10 — South LaFourche High, Orgeron’s alma mater, bounces back from a 1-4 start to the season to win the Louisiana Class 5A state championship. The turnaround comes after the Tarpons add a linebacker named Boucher to the roster at midseason who turns out to be a tackling machine. Boucher commits to Orgeron after the title game.
Dec. 24 — The first new Hummer rolls off the assembly line and right into Coach O’s garage for Christmas.
Dec. 31 — LSU beats Ohio State 42-3, and Clemson knocks off Houston.
Jan. 7 — Parker Orgeron, Coach O’s son, catches five touchdown passes as McNeese State wins the FCS national championship in a 52-51 shootout over Northwestern State. Considering the Demons are currently 0-4, this is probably the most far-fetched part of the dream. But since NSU is Orgeron’s alma mater, his dream’s gotta take care of them, too.
Jan. 9 –– LSU beats Clemson, 47-7, for the national title. Orgeron’s new contract gets reworked, and he becomes the highest paid coach in the history of the world.
Feb. 5 — The New England Patriots win the Super Bowl. After the game, Tom Brady announces his retirement and says he’s joining Orgeron’s staff as quarterbacks coach. LSU lands the nation’s top quarterback in every class until the end of time and never struggles to throw the ball again.
Feb. 6 — Everybody lives happily ever after.
Sure, it’s a dream and a crazy one.
But it’s also crazy to think one guy could be the interim coach at both USC and LSU in his career. Or that he could lead LSU to its best-ever offensive performance in an SEC game in his first game as Tigers coach.
So don’t doubt O’s dreams. He has a knack for making them untrue.
