Riley to Trojans is Pac-12’s gain, even if Buffs blew their window
Lincoln Riley took the chicken’s path to Troy. Let’s be clear on that, first and foremost.
The now-former Oklahoma football coach saw the SEC writing on the wall, the shadow of an annual showdown with Alabama and Nick Saban, and hopped the first luxury train outta town.
That said, Riley joining USC is the best news to hit the Pac-12 in years. For CU Buffs fans, though … not so much.
The upside: A rising tide at the top of your league lifts all boats. Marquee brands matter. When USC, Oregon and Washington are relevant nationally, the Pac12 is, too.
The Ducks have had to carry the water by themselves for far too long.
With Riley picking up the baton in Los Angeles, that’s about to change.
The Big Ten went through a similar revolution a decade ago when the Ohio State Buckeyes hired Urban Meyer, creating a domino effect that saw the Michigan Wolverines hire Jim Harbaugh and Penn State Nittany Lions grab James Franklin. As a league, you tend to go as your bluebloods go, at least from a perception standpoint.
The flipside: The Pac-12 South has another sheriff, and the Buffs might’ve just seen their best window to beat USC — head-tohead, and on the recruiting front — slip out of their hands. CU is 0-15 all-time against the Trojans, and 0-10 since joining the Pac-12 for the 2011 season.
Not that there haven’t been close games between the two programs, mind you. The Buffs infamously had USC on the ropes twice in The Clay Helton Era (2016-2021, R.I.P.). CU had Helton dead to rights in Mel Tucker’s only season at the helm.
The Buffs took a 31-21 lead into the final quarter under the lights before the Trojans rallied for 14 unanswered points in a 35-31 victory.
Riley posted a record of 37-4 (.902) against unranked teams from 2017-21 with the Sooners, with two losses coming to Iowa State (’17, ’20) and two to Kansas State (’19, ’20).
More often than not, the man takes care of business. And the business of winning the Pac-12 South just got a lot more complicated for CU.
The Trojans (4-7) and Buffs (4-8) turned up at No. 14 and No. 17, respectively, in the latest Denver Post Best of the West Top 25 College Football Poll.
USC stomped the Buffaloes 3714 at Folsom was back at the beginning of October.
The Buffs put up a 3-4 record after that lopsided home loss, while the Men of Troy, who finish the regular season at California (4-7) on Saturday, have gone 1-5 since.
The Post’s Best of the West College Football poll each Monday ranks the top 25 FBS programs from the Front Range to the Pacific Ocean, as culled from the Pac-12, the Mountain West and BYU.
Post columnist Sean Keeler (@Seankeeler), Post deputy sports editor Matt Schubert (@Mattdschubert) and Post reporter Kyle Fredrickson (@Kylefredrickson) vote on the top 25.