When it comes to the pecking order for the current college football openings, you could make the argument between Penn State, LSU, and Florida. Other openings, Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and UCLA, are jobs not seen as good as the three mentioned above.
When it comes to the openings, most of the top coaches have been linked to it. The first three schools are going to be highly coveted jobs. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been a name linked to some of the openings, as has Georgia Tech coach Brent Key.
One name that seems to come up with openings is USC coach Lincoln Riley. His name has not been mentioned too much this early on in the cycle. However, his name was just dropped by one college football insider.
Josh Pate Lists Lincoln Riley As a Coach to Watch This Cycle
On a recent episode of Bussin with the Boys, Pate, who hosts his own show, ‘Josh Pate’s College Football Show,’ dropped a bomb at the end of the show by mentioning Riley.
“Let’s just keep an eye on Lincoln Riley at USC,” said Pate.
Oh boy, buckle up. When it comes to jobs outside of the one Riley has at the time, he is someone who it wouldn’t be surprising if he jumps to another job. The segment where Pate dropped Riley’s name was about open jobs, with the SEC being the main topic.
Riley spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under former coach Bob Stoops before being elevated to head coach. At the helm of the Sooners, Riley had them in the conversation of the playoffs each season in Norman. His teams at Oklahoma won 55 of his 65 games with him in charge.
In 2021, he bolted from Norman for USC, but the results haven’t been as good as the school or fanbase would have liked, as in year four, the Trojans are 32-16 under Riley. Not what a lot of people envisioned with a move to the Big Ten.
Lincoln Riley’s Best Fits With Current Openings
If Riley is going to leave Southern California, it would be for an SEC job. It doesn’t make sense for him to go to Penn State, Virginia Tech, or Oklahoma State. Imagine the reaction in Norman if he went to the in-state rival Cowboys in Stillwater?
All signs would point to the SEC, and really, all of the jobs would be in play. LSU and Florida would be the two obvious landing spots that are currently open. Auburn would be a dark horse. However, would Riley want to get into a yearly battle with Alabama for recruits and with games on the field?
Riley is the type of coach who would deny rumors about him being linked to a job, but bolt a few days later. Things are getting dicey at USC, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him entertain the idea of leaving. If he does, the SEC makes too much sense. Once the coaching cycle gets going in a month, Riley’s name may come up a few times. It makes too much sense.
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