USC Coaching Search - Riley

[ForbinsAscynt]

Here’s what I got from an OU fan.

“I got from 3 trustworthy folks that Lincoln hated the SEC move and “didn’t feel heard” (had to put that in quotes bc it was mentioned multiple times and just sounds funny to me, like marriage counseling). LSU was never a thing. There’s been tension since the SEC deal that our AD thought he could get ironed out but has been preparing for Riley to possibly jump to NFL this year (at least he was close) but did get wind of Riley going to USC as early as before the Baylor game.”

 

[jctisu]

The Florida that just struggled with an FCS team? 6-6 LSU? Now who is the one relying on old, irrelevant data!!

That is a shallow measure of "best" that you are employing. Was the AAC the best when UConn won the NCAA tournament? Yes, the SEC has programs rise and fall more than others.

Glad you resorted to this though. We have to define best. Programs with inherent huge FB budgets and local recruiting capable of a good coach winning a NC? That is more saying the SEC has the best brand and prestige than saying it is easily the best on the field. Overall I'd put the BIG ahead of the SEC on the field this year, although the SEC has a better chance at winning the title.

Wait other AAC teams won National titles in hoops other than UConn?!?! Must have missed that one. See the difference yet? Come on you can do it.

 

[isufbcurt]

The BIG is the best on the field this year imo

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA

 

[JUKEBOX]

I think at this point, the sec is the most-talented conference

when they were first being advertised as the "best conference" a decade ago, they were not (I would have considered the old big 12 stronger)

when you get bids over more-deserving teams into title games where someone from the conference is guaranteed a win, that helps marketing and recruiting

 

[jctisu]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA

Curt I love your posts! You and I have had a couple of disagreements, but in the end we typically see eye to. Most importantly is you are always pretty damn objective, which I always appreciate when talking sports. I have takes I look back on and think, "Eh that wasn't my best." but man some of the takes I have seen the last 24-48 on a plethora of topics are just f-ing insane.

 

[jctisu]

I think at this point, the sec is the most-talented conference

when they were first being advertised as the "best conference" a decade ago, they were not (I would have considered the old big 12 stronger)

This I could get behind a lot more. Sucks OU crapped the bed those years against LSU and Florida, and then Texas losing to Bama when Colt McCoy got hurt. But top to bottom I do think the Big 12 during those years was arguably the best. OU, Texas and Texas Tech alone were enough to sway that.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

ROFL Big 10 is SOOOOOOOO YUGE!

 

[NWICY]

We shouldn't feel better until we hear something from JP.

I'm just ignoring it all until something happens, it's sort of fun to post in some of the threads though.

 

[Farnsworth]

Wait so the SEC is top-heavy and that’s it but the Big Ten isn’t? Aside from Ohio State I will wait on who these other elite programs are.

I know you always come off as thinking you know everything on this site so it’s OK to be wrong but maybe you are the one that needs to have it “explained” to you.

Parity in conferences becomes super difficult to judge as the disparity in conference sizes increases.

I'm not a Hawkeye hater like most, but look at Iowa this year. They are considered a top tier BIG team this year, yet they didn't even have to play games against the best 3 teams in the league. They get to claim tied for 3rd best record in the conference without having games with those above them or tied with (which so happens that all 3 played each other and only lost to each other outside Mich St to Purdue).

I guess you could say though that this also means Iowa could be way better because who knows how those games would have turned out. The point is not playing most of your conference makes for a poor measurement of how good your conference is, or you within it. SEC is now just getting even bigger, nobody ever has to play anyone, and can claim they are all superior with their 1-2 loss season.

I think Bama only plays Georgia like once every 6 years in their current setup outside of CCG. A lot of room to inflate teams, and leave others as essentially in-conference non-con games.

This is why the move was dumb for OU and Texas, especially OU. They are f'd now. I think the biggest winner here will be A&M from an on the field results.

edit: After they join the new SEC, each team will BARELY play half of their own conference (53%), how does that show who truly is great within it (play 8 of potential 15 opponents).

But $$$ wins, especially combined with skewed numbers..

 

[JUKEBOX]

in the big 8/12 I feel like oklahoma could get guys from texas (being one of the southern-most teams) and have a solid recruiting pitch (get a chance to be on national television, be on a dominant program, etc.)

they could get a lot of the players that were overlooked by ut and had a chip on their shoulder

I think that recruiting pitch is harder in the sec - why not just go to arkansas or lsu over oklahoma? fayetteville is arguably a cooler place to be than norman

they might run into the nebraska issue where now they are just another team

 

[Kinch]

IF this is true, how cold-blooded is Riley? Last night saying he wasn't going to LSU and taking the USC job today.

That was all part of the plan. His agent was putting out feelers about the supposed LSU offer and USC being very coy, lying about their interest in Napier and Campbell. Then he could truthfully deny going to LSU and USC pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

 

[jctisu]

Parity in conferences becomes super difficult to judge as the disparity in conference sizes increases.

I'm not a Hawkeye hater like most, but look at Iowa this year. They are considered a top tier BIG team this year, yet they didn't even have to play games against the best 3 teams in the league. They get to claim tied for 3rd best record in the conference without having games with those above them or tied with.

I guess you could say though that this also means Iowa could be way better because who knows how those games would have turned out. The point is not playing most of your conference makes for a poor measurement of how good your conference is, or you within it. SEC is now just getting even bigger, nobody ever has to play anyone, and can claim they are all superior with their 1-2 loss season.

I think Bama only plays Georgia like once every 12 years in their current setup outside of CCG. A lot of room to inflate teams, and leave others are essentially in-conference non-con games.

This is why the move was dumb for OU and Texas, especially OU. They are f'd now. I think the biggest winner here with be A&M from an on the field results.

edit: After they join the new SEC, each team will BARELY play half of their own conference (53%%%), how does that show who truly is great within it (play 8 of potential 15 opponents).

But $$$ wins, especially combined with skewed numbers..

Solid post here, and I agree with a lot of it. It's why the round robin in the Big 12 has been so fun because we do play everyone. And I agree things can be skewed based on who you do or don't play. My only counter is that the Big moved to 9 conference games to be equal to the other conferences. Now the SEC has to do the same because in the end you are going to hang more losses on teams in your conference that way. The reason, right wrong or indifferent that the SEC is the best is because the talent they push out (NFL Draft and NFL rosters in general) and they have had many teams take turns rising up to win and challenge for National Championships.

I always try to put the Big 12/ISU in positions of arguments around here, and this is one of those. Had the Big 12 over the last 15-20 years had OU, Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State for example win national titles/play in national championship games we would be laughing at SEC or Big Ten fans saying exactly what's being said on here. Because what I just described is what the SEC has done.

Why does NOBODY talk about the ACC being the best conference? I mean they have almighty Clemson who's previous 5-year run was insane. Well that's a single top-heavy team (FSU with Winston for a hot second). The SEC has/had 5 of those teams (Bama, LSU, Florida, Auburn and Georgia) in the last 15-20 years multiple times.

 

[surly]

As someone who values fundamentals first, the OU move to the SEC never ever made sense on any basis other than pure hubris and maybe money. Now they've evidently lost their coach over it.

I do wonder if Lincoln was opposed to the move originally. That will be an interesting back story.

If OU hires Sonny Dykes, it will only further cement the nonsense of them following Texas.

And OU's AD, Joe Castigliano, was supposed to be the brightest bulb on the tree. Ya, right.

 

[Farnsworth]

Solid post here, and I agree with a lot of it. It's why the round robin in the Big 12 has been so fun because we do play everyone. And I agree things can be skewed based on who you do or don't play. My only counter is that the Big moved to 9 conference games to be equal to the other conferences. Now the SEC has to do the same because in the end you are going to hang more losses on teams in your conference that way. The reason, right wrong or indifferent that the SEC is the best is because the talent they push out (NFL Draft and NFL rosters in general) and they have had many teams take turns rising up to win and challenge for National Championships.

I always try to put the Big 12/ISU in positions of arguments around here, and this is one of those. Had the Big 12 over the last 15-20 years had OU, Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State for example win national titles/play in national championship games we would be laughing at SEC or Big Ten fans saying exactly what's being said on here. Because what I just described is what the SEC has done.

Why does NOBODY talk about the ACC being the best conference? I mean they have almighty Clemson who's previous 5-year run was insane. Well that's a single top-heavy team (FSU with Winston for a hot second). The SEC has/had 5 of those teams (Bama, LSU, Florida, Auburn and Georgia) in the last 15-20 years multiple times.

Thanks. I forgot to mention though that my post wasn't actually a response to you in particular, I just had the thought after reading a bunch of stuff and tried to find someone rational to attach my post too

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

If you think about the move it makes sense. OU was top dog in the big 12. Riley liked the security and petitioned for staying. He wasn’t listened to and now goes to the best job on the west coast where he can do what he’s been doing at OU

 

[cycloneworld]

I’d pay money to know how this all went down and what these leaders’ real thoughts are.

 

[Kinch]

I’d pay money to know how this all went down and what these leaders’ real thoughts are.

I think it's significant that of the four statements, only Riley references SEC by name.

 

[AlaCyclone]

I think at this point, the sec is the most-talented conference

when they were first being advertised as the "best conference" a decade ago, they were not (I would have considered the old big 12 stronger)

when you get bids over more-deserving teams into title games where someone from the conference is guaranteed a win, that helps marketing and recruiting

That happned once in 2011.

During the BCS Era:

In 1998, Tennessee beat Florida State from the ACC
In 2003, LSU beat Oklahoma from the Big Xii
In 2006, Florida beat Ohio State from the B1G
In 2007, LSU beat Ohio State from the B1G
In 2008, Florida beat Oklahoma from the Big Xii
In 2009, Alabama beat Texas from the Big Xii
in 2010, Auburn beat Oregon from the Pac-12
In 2011, Alabama beat LSU from the SEC.
In 2012, Alabama beat Notre Dame (Independent)
In 2013, Florida State from the ACC beat Auburn from the SEC.

Excluding the 2011 Alabama vs. LSU re-match, the SEC Champion played in 9 other BCS Championship Games with an (8-1) record with wins over teams from the Big Xii x 3, the B1G x 2, the ACC, the Pac-12 and Notre Dame. They spread that love around!

Also, don't forget that in 2000, Nebraska from the Big Xii and in 2003, Oklahoma from the Big Xii made it to the BCS Championship Game without winning the Big Xii and both lost. When Alabama went in 2011, they at least won and beat the SEC Champion to boot!

The SEC backed up every single thing in front of them in the BCS Era until Auburn mucked it up in 2013.

 

[intrepid27]

The SEC has 13 of 14 schools bowl eligible this year. Poor Vandy!

That is what playing 8 conference games and 4 cupcakes will get ya.

 

[stewart092284]

CBS sports already speculating about CMC to Oklahoma