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Three years ago, head coach Lincoln Riley opted to bail on his Oklahoma Sooners program in order to take over at USC. Fast forward to present day, and that decision has soured in both locations.
Riley’s largely failed to live up to the incredible hype that followed him to Los Angeles while the Sooners are in complete disarray and without an offensive identity.
Both sides likely want a do-over!
Riley took over with the Trojans in 2022 after going 55-10 in Norman. In half the time, he’s already lost more games in LA than he did at OU.
The head coach is just 22-12 despite spending his first two seasons with Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams under center. Defense has been an issue, as have late game collapses.
USC has led in the fourth quarter of every single game this year, but they’re just 3-4. This past Saturday was maybe the most disappointing outcome of the season as they allowed Maryland to overcome a two-touchdown deficit to escape with a 29-28 upset.
Many around the program have seen enough, and they’re calling for the coach’s job.
At Oklahoma, meanwhile, the effects of Lincoln Riley’s departure have been felt dramatically.
When Riley left, he took a great deal of Sooner talent with him. That left replacement Brent Venables there to pick up the pieces. While he’s tried to build the program in his own way – with an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball – the marriage has thus far been a failure.
Venables is 20-13 as a head coach, and he could be trending towards a second losing season in three tries.
The Sooners were embarrassed at home, 35-9, by South Carolina on Saturday to fall to 4-3 on the year. With Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU still left on the schedule, bowl eligibility has suddenly become uncertain.
The Oklahoma offense is to blame.
The Sooners rank 15th in the SEC in passing and dead last in rushing. In their two most recent games, they’ve been outscored 69-12. That’s a far cry from the OU offenses that ranked among the nation’s top 10 scoring units each year Riley was at the helm.
The lacking production ultimately led to the firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after just eight games as a play caller, meaning Oklahoma will have to start fresh on offense again in 2025.
Should Brent Venables swing and miss a second time, it could cost him his future in Norman.
Oklahoma fans were livid when Lincoln Riley bailed for USC. Trojan fans were over the moon. Three years later, they’d both prefer it never happened!