What a week in college football. I’m worn out. When Oklahoma coach and offensive genius Lincoln Riley announced he was leaving for the shores of Southern California, my blood was boiling. I thought it was fake news, but my phone kept dinging, and I realized Riley had pulled a fast one over on #SoonerNation. After Riley’s shocker, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly broke up with his football team after 12 years — over text!
These shocking exits have me baffled. Two coaches leaving storied programs, stunning the world. The last time an Oklahoma coach left willingly for another college football job was in 1947. Kelly had the Fighting Irish in contention for a spot in the playoffs and recently said he couldn’t see himself leaving South Bend. Football coaches leave teams often, but these two cases are extremely rare. Oklahoma and Notre Dame are destination jobs. Why go?
Let me look at Riley’s departure objectively. In July, Oklahoma and Texas announced they would join the SEC in 2025. This will be a seismic shift for the Big 12 and college football, making the SEC almost too powerful. Riley has a better opportunity for longer-term, sustainable success in the Pac-12 as opposed to the SEC where Oklahoma’s competition will be fierce. But further, the terms of his deal are rumored to be INSANE: $110M contract (and it’s safe to assume Riley will eclipse the $9.7 million per year that Nick Saban makes at Alabama), plus real estate deals and unlimited use of the Trojan private jet. Oh, and the weather doesn’t suck. Pretty hard to pass up.
Also:
- Hear leaked audio of Brian Kelly’s speech to his team
- Breaking down championship week in college football
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