No doubt that is what did him in...but from the day he was hired there was a strong/vocal portion of their fanbase and members of the athletic department that were against him because he was not in the Bo Schembechler (sp?) coaching tree.
Definitely if he came out and won the B10 twice in a row he would still be there today!
For sure there was skepticism about RR at the start - but there is the same skepticism about Brady Hoke.
If RR had had success, no one would have cared if he was from the Bo mold or not.
OU tried hiring from the Switzer coaching tree, and finally gave up. Do Sooner fans care if Stoops is an outsider?