This is an interesting presser since all around are rumors swirling on Lincoln Riley possibly headed to LSU as the next head football coach at LSU.
I guess that’s an interesting thought. The leash is very short at LSU for losing games and if you think back both Les Miles and current lame duck coach Ed Orgeron were both shown the door when the Tigers couldn’t win enough to satiate their crazy fan base.
But you can definitely win a football national championship at LSU for certain. Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron all won national championships in Baton Rouge.
I’m not losing sleep over it either way. That’s not my concern. OU has in my estimation the best athletic director in the country in Joe Castiglione.
I have faith in Joe C’s judgement. While at OU he’s only had to hire two head football coaches. The first was Bill Snyder’s defensive coordinator at K State and then Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator at Florida when they won a national championship.
A guy by the name of Bob Stoops. At OU…Coach Stoops won a national champonship and played in three other BCS National Championship games during his sixteen season tenure as the Sooners’ head coach. Bob Stoops hired Lincoln Riley from East Carolina as his offensive coordinator then ended up retiring to allow Lincoln’s ascension to the head coaching job.
Lincoln has done a great job, but if he leaves…he leaves. It’s the same stuff I wrote when Kevin Durant decided to leave for San Francisco. When you’re at the top of your profession you’ve earned the right to pursue happiness for your family beyond sweating out wins every week in Norman or Baton Rouge.
If I was Lincoln’s friend I’d say, “Dude, you can probably go anywhere, but why would you go coach at a school with an even more irrational fan base than Oklahoma? You have a wife and two kids…money isn’t everything even if they do pay you more?”
I’d take the USC job before I took the LSU job. Great weather. Fan base isn’t as crazy due to being down for so long. Only one team in your conference in Oregon who would be difficult to beat. A coach like Lincoln could be the next Pete Carroll is the way I see it. He could be the next West Coast guru like Bill Walsh was with the Niners.
So who would Joe C hire if Lincoln Riley did leave for another school?
One of the guys I would have on my list would be Baylor’s Dave Aranda who for the third time in the last three years this past weekend basically shut down Lincoln Riley’s offense.
I mean, let’s be blunt–OU was down 24-7 in the fourth when they scored their second touchdown with 3:40 or so left in the game.
Dave Aranda has owned Lincoln Riley to date. Plus, I’m guessing his buyout is very modest considering Baylor is his first head coaching position at a Power 5 school.
Fun fact…Steve Sarkisian’s buyout at Texas is $40 million dollars. Holy shit. You could but a couple of Longhorn Networks with that kind of cash.
Joe C is generally bright about his coaches. Oklahoma is a top six job in college football. If Lincoln leaves it would sting, but I mean two years ago OU was hearing Lincoln would be the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys.
When you have a hot coaching commodity it comes with the territory.
As far as the Iowa State game… who could possibly know at this point what OU will do on the playing field in Norman on Saturday.
The Committee now has the Sooners’ at No. 13 and I have the Sooners either 11th or 12th. No team in the history of the College Football Playoff era has come back to make the four team playoff from any further back than No. 9 this late in a season. Plus, in looking where the Committee ranked both Baylor and O State this week it appears the Committee isn’t all that stoked about the Big 12 in general.
Hope OU finds some focus in their final home game of the season.
Here’s one …if Iowa State beats OU this Saturday for their third win in their last five games against the Sooners… and Lincoln leaves for another job…would Joe C have Iowa State’s Matt Campbell on his short list?
Think about that one.
Mike’s short list so far… 1 Dave Aranda, 2 Kellen Moore, 3 Dr. Strangelove at Mississippi State, 4 Matt Campbell if they beat OU this Saturday. Hell, if you’re not going to make the Playoff…then hiring a new coach is almost as much fun.
This is the first time I’ve seen this video. Don’t click unless you’re prepared for a f–kfest. I tell you what though…maybe something like this needs to occur within that OU locker room given all the passive and unfocused football play so far this season. Football isn’t a gentle activity.
Lombardi once said this and remember you won’t ever read this on any other blog in this market….”Dancing is a contact activity, football is a collision activity.” Jim Traber doesn’t even have that quote in his bag of tricks. I like Jim, but he’s never used that quote because I grew up worshipping the Packers while he grew up worshipping the Steelers.
Mike Leach was Bob Stoops’ first offensive coordinator in Norman. He’s winning games in the SEC West right now with arguably the weakest program in the West. I mean… Mike Leach is the dude who in essence fathered Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense. Crazy as it sounds…it’s not altogether crazy. The pressers would be iconic.
But to close on…I would be happy with OU beating Iowa State and Lincoln staying on as the OU coach all things considered. Boring me.
BOOMER!