Matt Hayes

Les Miles doesn't want to talk about it, but it's looming larger with each passing week and each Michigan implosion: He will be the No. 1 target should the Wolverines change coaches at the end of the season.

And LSU athletic director Skip Bertman wants everyone to know that getting Miles won't be as easy as it looks for Michigan.

"Sure, I'm concerned," Bertman said. "If something happens (at Michigan), I'm sure they'll call him and he'll listen. We'll do whatever is reasonable to keep him. It's hard to imagine there's anything at Michigan that isn't here."

A Michigan alumnus, Miles is 24-4 in 28 games at LSU and has the second-ranked Tigers primed for another big season. Last weekend's big win over Virginia Tech was a clear indicator of the direction of the team and the program.

And last week's events in Ann Arbor continue to point toward an unhappy ending for longtime coach Lloyd Carr. Michigan has opened the season with two losses at home for the first time since 1958, and even Carr seems to be resigned to what could be.

Even before the start of this season, Carr declined to commit to anything beyond 2007.

"There is nothing that can keep me down," Carr said at his weekly press conference. "Not a loss to Appalachian State. Not a loss to Oregon. Not 100 losses. And not the loss of my job."

Miles makes $1.8 million this year and is under contract through 2010. His contract has a buyout clause of $1.2 million.

Miles said this summer that Michigan "is a special place" and that he has "fantastic" memories of his playing days and time as an assistant coach (1980-81; 1987-94). But even though Miles played and coached at Michigan and his wife, Kathy, is a Michigan alumna, any potential future decision probably will come down to where he can win.

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Urban Meyer showed that three years ago, when he passed on his "dream job" at Notre Dame to coach Florida for less money. Moreover, Miles showed at Oklahoma State that money isn't an issue; he gave $400,000 of his salary to his assistants' salary pool so he could hire the best possible staff.

"I don't think (Michigan) is a better coaching situation than this one," Bertman says. "In that sense, Les is pretty smart guy. I don't think he wants to go anywhere."