According to Jon Wilner, who broke the realignment news, Lincoln Riley didn’t know about Big Ten move
It seems that we can’t go more than a day without writing about Lincoln Riley’s expoits in Southern California. After the news broke that USC and UCLA would be leaving for the Big Ten in 2024, a very fair question was brought up: Did Lincoln Riley know about USC moving to the Big Ten?
Our friends at Trojans Wire asked the question:
A similarly huge question is this: When USC made the push to hire Lincoln Riley last November, did it pitch Riley on a possible move to the Big Ten? Was it all part of a larger plan? – Matt Wadleigh, Trojans Wire
No reports came out about what Riley did or didn’t know about the move, but Trojans Wire did get a response to their article from a familiar face.
I know the answer: Absolutely not. https://t.co/txkgtqc0cA
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) July 1, 2022
The very same man who broke the USC-UCLA move is saying Riley didn’t know about the move.
Mr. Wilner is on fire.
So this is pretty big if Wilner is correct. If Riley didn’t know about moving out of the Pac-12, is he going to want to play in the Big Ten? Ohio State and Michigan on the road aren’t that much easier to play than Alabama and Georgia.
Much like OU head coach Brent Venables, Riley will get a year or two playing in a weaker conference before moving to a much tougher one. That is of course if Riley sticks around long enough to make it to the Big Ten. If word gets out that Riley is unhappy with this, I don’t see Riley making a move.
The way this sport is going, any job worth having for a coach like Riley is going to be in the Big Ten or the SEC. Does he want that? I’m not convinced.
How long before NFL teams start calling?
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Social media reacts to USC and UCLA's realignment announcement to the Big 10
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