When Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC in 2021, the move looked like a power play that would reshape both programs. Instead, the safer bet now is that Brent Venables will be the one still standing while Riley gets pushed out in Los Angeles.
USC’s latest stumble made the picture even clearer. The Trojans lost to Wisconsin 24-7 on Saturday, dropped out of the top 25, and all but locked Riley into a season that could end with his departure.
He was already under pressure, but sitting at 6-2 with three top-10 opponents still ahead leaves USC with little patience and even less room for error. If there’s any clean exit, the best-case scenario is Riley leaving for Baylor on his own terms.
The irony is hard to miss. USC expected Riley to be the prize, the coach who would turn the Trojans back into a powerhouse.
Instead, Saturday was another reminder that the offense he’s built has stalled badly. Known for running elite attacks, Riley watched his team score just seven points for the first time in his head-coaching career.
Now the challenge gets steeper with No. 2 Ohio State coming to town on Saturday.
The bigger issue for USC is that the results haven’t matched the hype. The Trojans came into the season with big expectations and a roster loaded with experience and money, but they’ve beaten only one Power 4 team with a winning record. Unless Riley pulls off one of the kind of upset wins he’s usually associated with avoiding, USC looks headed for a 7-5 finish.
Back at Oklahoma, Venables has not had a spotless season either. The Sooners also entered the year with CFP hopes and are staring at a disappointing finish.
But unlike Riley, Venables is secure. He signed a new two-year contract extension over the offseason, and Oklahoma has shown faith in him even in a season that has fallen short of expectations.
That extension may have come early in some eyes, but Venables had already done enough to earn trust from the people above him. He got Oklahoma into the CFP just last year, while Riley has not gotten back there since leaving Norman.
The records help explain why one coach has staying power and the other doesn’t. Venables has won 10 games in two of his four full seasons at Oklahoma.
Riley reached double-digit wins in four of his five seasons with the Sooners. He did win 11 games in his first year at USC with a roster he brought over from Oklahoma, but he has not reached that level since.
That’s the lesson Riley is learning now: the place matters. It wasn’t Riley that made Oklahoma. Oklahoma made Riley.
Venables may be outlasting him, and Riley may be the one looking for another job soon, because the “Mecca of College Football” does not wait around for anything less than instant success.
In Other News...
Sooners Face A Corner-Turning Test Against A Dangerous South Carolina
Oklahoma heads into Saturdays matchup with a chance to do something it has not managed yet this season: stack consecutive wins. At 4-3, the Sooners return home to Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to meet a South Carolina team that looked sluggish early but has now won two straight conference games, a reminder that this is still a league race with plenty of turn left in it.
John Mateer will be central to Oklahomas hopes of continuing that momentum, but the challenge is a real one. South Carolina brings a dynamic presence at quarterback in LaNorris Sellers and a disruptive defensive piece in Dylan Stewart, giving the Gamecocks the kind of playmakers that can tilt a game quickly. It makes this a useful measuring-stick afternoon for Oklahoma, with kickoff on Saturday and the SEC Network carrying the broadcast. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Brings One Big SEC Question Oklahoma Fans Should Watch
Mississippi States trip into this stretch of SEC road life comes with a few questions attached, and the biggest one for Oklahoma fans to keep an eye on is who the Bulldogs can actually trust at quarterback. The matchup arrives with Mississippi State trying to stop a three-game skid, and the uncertainty around Kamario Taylors injury only adds to the sense that this offense is searching for answers while the defense has also been fighting through recent struggles.
For Oklahoma, the broader interest is less about the Bulldogs record and more about what kind of version of Mississippi State shows up once the game gets going. A team that has had to lean on key players and work through instability on both sides of the ball can still create problems if it settles in early, and the history between the programs adds a little more texture to the conversation. Even with the current issues, this is the kind of SEC test that can change fast depending on who is available and who takes control first. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Landed A Big Recruiting Opportunity This Month
Fresh off a win over Mississippi State, Oklahoma is still very much in the middle of the kind of recruiting stretch that can shape the next few classes. The Sooners are set to host South Carolina next, but the staff also has its eye on the sidelines and the visitor list, where a few high school prospects are mapping out their next rounds of campus stops while sorting through offers from multiple programs.
Among them are 2028 defensive linemen Malakai Leilua and Brynnen Thompson, along with 2029 tight end Wyatt Cordray, all of whom have visits lined up at Oklahoma and elsewhere. For a program trying to keep momentum on the field and on the trail, the next few weeks matter almost as much as the next game, even if the real decision-making is still a long way from being finished. [Read more 🡒]