Not thrilled about Riley to USC in terms of Utah’s prospects

[SalUteopia]

Let me start by saying that my allegiance only lies with Utah, and nothing else. Unless the likes of USC/UW were bolting P12 for another conference, I’m not worried about our conference status or its perception. I agree that P12 is not mentioned in the same breath as the SEC/B1G, but who cares? Does anybody take away from Clemson’s accomplishments because they played in a weak ACC with a down FSU/Miami? Above all, Utah gets decent respect, and even in a down P12 year, a 1-loss conference champion is likely going to make the CFP. As things stand currently, this is enough for me.
USC making a home run hire in Riley is bad news for us. I get the ‘playing/beating the best to be the best’ mentality, but this is college football. It’s not a level-playing field. The odds were already stacked against us, and it just got even harder. It is one thing had USC hired a Campbell/Napier type coach, but there should be little doubt about Riley’s caliber. He is a proven coach with multiple playoff appearances. OU’s success likely wouldn’t have continued in the SEC, and Riley knew that. He owned the Big 12, and he knows he can replicate that at P12 with USC. This does not bode well for Utah. I’m not saying that the sky is falling, but I’m not thrilled about this USC hire.

[ProudUte]

I get your points, they are valid.  But, I want USC back to where they were 20 years ago.  I just want to be at that same level.  It is much more fun to have a great USC team coming into RES for a game than the team they had this year IMO.  The Oregon game was fun, in part because they are a great program.  An easy path to the PAC12 championship is not what I want.

 

[SalUteopia]

In theory, I agree with you. I’m all for great USC/UO teams as long as Utah is better than them. This is a zero-sum game, and not a fair one at that, so I’d rather Utah be at the winning end. Always! To be sure, I’m not saying I want USC, etc. to suck. As bad as Helton was, he still fielded some decent USC teams and won the Rose. They were just not CFP caliber teams. And I can more than live with that if it improves Utah’s prospects.

[Utesbyfive]

The conference needs fixing. Higher profile coaches help. Utah needs to be prepared to deal with any opponent, so I don’t give a crap who coaches what team. Just win baby.

[MDUte]

I hear ya SalUteopia. Valid points for sure. Here’s one other reason why I think it’s important to have USC back to national prominence….our upcoming Media Contract. Let’s face it, money makes the conference go round at the end of the day. And if the flag bearers for the conference are thriving, the more money TV partners will be willing to pay to get the rights to the PAC’s media. For Utah to continue to compete at the highest levels, we need every dollar we can get. And IMO, a down USC means less interest and less money for the PAC and our program.

[SalUteopia]

This is a good point. I failed to take media contracts into account. 

[Charlie]

Of course I want Utah to do as well as possible in the Pac. To do that I am not hoping that the other schools fall on hard times. Instead, I hope all Pac teams improve. Our last team should always be in the top 50. I want to see multiple matches between top 10 teams in the Pac each year.

[SalUteopia]

Maybe I wasn’t articulate enough. I don’t want USC (or other P12 teams) to fall on hard times. I’d be more than thrilled with a 11-1 USC team as long their loss came to Utah. 

[Utesbyfive]

The deeper into the season more teams from the Pac-12 go undefeated, or with one loss, the more people will start to look at us as being like the B10 or SEC. Gotta hope we can stay near the top of the league. Life after Kyle is going to be very interesting…

[SalUteopia]

Frankly, I’m more worried about post-Whitt era. One misstep and it could all come tumbling down (see UW post Petersen). The way college football world is set up, there’s just no room for error, especially for teams like Utah. 🤞

[Utesbyfive]

And if it does it does. Enjoy Whittingham while we can. We could end up Nebraska soon enough.

[SalUteopia]

I couldn’t stomach that. Maybe I need to distance myself a bit.

[Central Coast Ute]

Exactly. Which is why Riley is bolting from OU. In the SEC, he won’t be going to the CFP at OU and he’ll get fired eventually. At USC, it will be easier. Now, I’ll wait and see what he can do. If the first year isn’t great, he’ll have boosters breathing down his neck. Honestly, USC seems like a s**t job.

[UtesRock]

He will be able to immediately recruit from Texas.

[UtesRock]

I’d rather have chippy 3 stars than 4 star prima donnas anyway. Barring QB!

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