It seems such an innocent time, now.
It was a Saturday night and the Pokes had just beaten OU in Bedlam football and were going to the Big XII Championship game and, we thought, perhaps to the college football playoffs.
OU had its consecutive string of conference championship game appearances broken, but the Sooners would be back. They had a fair-haired coach who loved OU and had put together an impressive recruiting class that surely would compete well in the Southeastern Conference.
The future was bright for football in Oklahoma. Until Sunday morning.
That’s when Lincoln Riley did what was previously considered impossible. He made Oklahoma - or at least half the state - forget Kevin Durant by announcing he was leaving to coach at Southern Cal.
Say what? No one can begrudge Riley for taking what
No one can begrudge Riley for taking what he thinks is a better job that includes higher wages and an alleged $6 million house in LA.
What really chaps people is how he did it.
The public story is that Southern Cal first called him on the way home from Bedlam and then talked in more depth Sunday morning.
Riley thought everything sounded good, so, in a few hours the deal was done and he was on his way to Los Angeles with some assistants with him.
If you really believe that Riley left for Southern Cal after thinking about it for just a few hours on a Sunday morning, I’d like to show you a couple of sections of ocean-front property I recently bought in Lincoln County.
No matter what kind of face you put on a deal with that much money, you don’t decide to leave a program with the history of OU and go to one with the reality of USC in just a few hours.
Under Riley’s watch, the Sooners were one-for-four in games against the Southeastern Conference and they soon would be playing the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Auburn each week instead of Kansas, Texas Tech and TCU.
If you are image- and record-conscious instead of wanting to become the best by beating the best, that sort of thing makes a difference. The Pac-12 is a pillow fight compared to the
The Pac-12 is a pillow fight compared to the Big XII, so there should be a lot of easy wins ahead for the Riley-led Trojans. Certainly more than in the Southeastern Conference. In the end, it left OU fans feeling like jilted
In the end, it left OU fans feeling like jilted lovers and OSU fans snickering up their sleeves.
But the deed is done. Riley is in California talking about what a great opportunity it is and Brent Venables is in Norman as the Sooners’ new head coach.
Venables regularly took on the best of the SEC when he was defensive coordinator at Clemson and he was 2-1 against SEC heavyweight Alabama in national championship games. If you are looking for a bare-knuckles fighter
If you are looking for a bare-knuckles fighter to compete week after week in the SEC, the Sooners have the right guy in the head coach’s office.
So, if you are an Oklahoma fan, let Riley go quietly.
You’ll meet him in a bowl game soon enough.