“College Football–Earthquake”

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The windows rattled…the dishes in the China closet shook…the earth felt like it was moving.

It was a Monday never to forget in college football.

By the time nighttime came to the West Coast, USC had pulled the first domino from the pile, causing alot of others to tumble.

The Trojans landed marquee offensive guru Lincoln Riley, who had spent last week making sure the world knew he was not going to LSU.  But he never mentioned Southern Cal.

He had a long relationship with Mike Bohn, the Trojans dynamic Athletic Director, who tried to hire him at Cincinnati years ago.  Needing a ‘new challenge’ it took two Zoom calls in the darkness hours of the weekend for Riley to change his mind.

SC said they vetted 12-different candidates, did zoom calls, put together a 50-slide presentation about the University and its tradition.

Goodbye Oklahoma, hello USC.

There are lots of reasons this happened.  The big money and the lure of the lights of Hollywood are a draw.  So was the fact that Riley was not in favor of the Sooners move to the SEC, upset that the President made the move so OU could get a 51M-payday in SEC TV rights.

Sure the Big 12-was collapsing and those schools got only 31M per year payouts,but taking the Okies to a Southern based conference  where Alabama-Georgia and other big boys reside, meant OU was just another good program in a league of good programs.

For USC, what a hire.  There is instant cred to his arrival.  You think the success Filey had with Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts wouldn’t be noticed by all the QB-recruits USC will call going forward.

Now he brings in at least 4-assistant coaches with him from Norman, and possibly many of the 6-early recruit-decommits from the Sooners program..

That was the first domino to fall.

Then LSU raided Notre Dame, four hours later, offering mega cash to Irish coach Brian Kelly, who has won everywhere he has been…from tiny Grand Valley State, to Central Michigan, to Cincinnati to Touchdown Jesus.  Wow what a shocker.

And there were aftershocks everywhere else.

Florida reached to hire a good coach, in little known Billy Napier from Louisiana-Lafayette, a former 1AA school that has moved up to Conference USA with success.

Washington went for Kalen deBoer, who rebuilt Fresno State overnight and was becoming a hot name in the Far West.

All this from early breakfast to dinner time on Monday

When one job fills, another opens…actually two top jobs opened in that 4-hour span, in Norman and South Bend.  So we are not done yet.

The wildcard names to be considered  are Bob Stoops, might he return to Oklahoma?  Or does the Sooner-Schooner go into the deep south and steal a coach from  the SEC ranks, like Mississippi State’s Mike Leach?

Does Notre Dame try to raid Luke Fickell from Cincinnati, who has put the Bearcats into the college football playoffs. Is there somebody with NFL ties, look at the Irish, a someone like Pete Carroll-who might want a change?

Virginia Tech was a good job once upon a time.  Maybe Frank Beamer helps them find the next Hokies good coach.

Washington State is open, and the Cougars should make a run at San Diego State coach Brady Hoke.  Whether he would listen to an offer remains to be seen.  Oregon’s offensive coordinator Joe Moorehead and Nevada’s Jay Norvell are other hot names for the Cougars.  WSU has always hired coaches with good offensive genes.

TCU has hired Sonny Dykes from SMU.
SMU then took Miami’s offensive coordinator Rhett Lakeslee.

Fresno State is a good job with tradition.  How would ousted Gary Patterson from TCU look in Bulldog colors?

We’re not done yet, I guarantee you.

The rumblings will continue this week, we know out here about earthquakes and aftershocks.

Stay tuned.

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