As an OU fan this really stings but when I look at it from the POV of a coach it makes sense. Spent a few hours listening to SiriusXM last night and obviously this was the topic of conversation. Some really interesting points although most is speculative. But food for thought:
USC is a private school so does not need to disclose salary. However with California tax rates, cost of living, housing costs etc. the feel is this deal would need to be in the $10+ million per year range to make it worth leaving. Plus probably a commitment from USC to upgrade their football facilities.
Also speculation as to how much, if anything Riley knew about OU moving to the SEC. Similar to whether Steve Sarkisian would have taken the Texas job if he knew he was going to get tossed right back into the SEC whether Riley knew ahead of time or was involved in the decision (unlikely in most opinions) may have played a role. Karma's a b!tch sometimes, and the university may have reaped what they sowed in this case.
I do think the SEC factor did play into it. Maybe not fear, but look at the track record of schools in that conference and their unrealistic expectations. How many coaches have been run out of town in recent years. The big schools have expectations of winning their division EVERY year, winning the conference consistently, and playing for a national championship every few years. Look at the coaches in that conference now. Only two of them are even going to win their division each year so 2/3 or more of the big name guys won't. Most will fail their fanbases expectations even if they consistently win games. It's almost a no win situation for a coach. Can't really blame Riley for going to a conference where he should be able to recruit successfully and have decent success on the field.
For fun I looked at the USC athletics webpage last night. Front page had the announcement and also a link to buy season tickets.
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