Pac-12 Paranoia

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The Pac-12′s suffered from SEC-envy for years now and now the coaches are finally doing their best impressions. The latest escapade is UCLA coach Jim Mora’s tirade about TV camera crews setting up at the start of practice.
What was he worried about? Rivals coaches figuring out the warmup routine?
This follows the well-documented episodes with Lane Kiffin. I already noted how Kiffin’s tactics simply mirror Oregon coach Chip Kelly and Washington coach Steve Sarkisian slavishly follows whatever Kiffin does.
Kiffin’s already mentioned how Pete Carroll’s open ways were not smart and would not work today.
Which brings me to Oregon State coach Mike Riley, the nicest guy in the conference. He doesn’t worry about supressing injuries or TV crews showing up for warmups. And he is 2-0 at a school that really has no business beating Wisconsin or UCLA.

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  • QueenKiff

    I wonder what other Pete Carroll “ways” Kiff thinks “were not smart:”

    Beating Stanford: Check
    Not being an A-Hole and walking off on the press: Check
    Coaching up those 5 stars once they get on campus: Check
    Not obsessing over statistics: Check
    Not throwing Trojan QBs and Tackles under the bus: Check
    Charity: Check
    Not Promising Guards Tackle positions only to wonder why DEs blow past the OL: Check

    Anything Else?

  • Trojanfan

    Hey wolfman, different storkes for different folks, leave the coaches alone

  • nomoregarrett

    USC was 2-0 at one time too…

  • marvgoux

    You have to wonder how Mike Riley would have fared with the rich talent at SC…

  • usc50ucla0

    Corvalles is a 2 highway town way off the beaten path. ESPN/YahooSports/et al aren’t interested in covering schools in townships. OSU’s SID would likely welcome coverage from the local paper let alone regional/national coverage.

  • LovetheCapper

    Scott, I am so sick of your $h!t. You are a total @$$hole and have been a “gotcha” guy for over 10 years. Kiff and USC Athletics are tire of your bull$h!tt and you know it. F U

  • BiII

    lol, you idiots

  • Gnossos

    The Daily News is next!

  • gotroy22

    With age comes wisdom. Mike Riley has coached at every level over the decades and knows there is nothing new under the sun. These younger coaches think they have just discovered football and act like it with their secrecy antics and trying to control reporters. Too bad we don’t have him as coach.

  • sobayquail

    Couldn’t agree more.
    Mike Riley is arguably the best albeit, under rated coach in the conference.
    SC had 2 shots at hiring him but the timing wasn’t right.

  • sobayquail

    Couldn’t agree more.
    Mike Riley is arguably the best albeit, under rated coach in the conference.
    SC had 2 shots at hiring him but the timing wasn’t right.

  • NJ Trojan

    Riley belongs at OSU. I don’t think he would satisfy expectations at USC. He was Robinsons OC & QB coach from 1993-96. He coached up QB Rob Johnson pretty well as Johnsons pass efficiency rating went from 123.69 in 92 to 153.15 in 93 & 157.03 in 94. Riley & Robinson couldnt settle on a constant starter between Otton & Wachholtz in 95 and neither of them could get their rating over 140. Otton started in 96 but finished with a 125.54 rating. USCs O posted good total yards ion 93 but the numbers were much more pedestrian in the subsequent 3 years. USC went 0-4 vs UCLA & 1-2-1 vs ND. They only won the P10 once. They beat Utah in the 93 Freedom Bowl, Texas Tech in the 94 Cotton Bowl & Northwestern in the 95 Rose Bowl. But they didnt make a bowl the following year after finishing 6-6.

    OSU brought him home after they dumped Pettibone in 1997. Riley dumped the wishbone & installed a pro-style O laying a solid foundation for Dennis Erickson to exploit after Riley left to coach the Chargers in 1999. The Chargers went 14-34 under Riley from 1999-2001. The Saints hired him to coach DBs in 2002.

    Alabama offered him the HC job in 2003 but Riley turned it down since he was hoping UCLA would hire him to replace Toledo. UCLA offered the job to Dorrell & Alabama turned to Shula the Younger. But OSU lost Erickson to the 49ers so they brought Riley home once again.

    Since the end of WWII OSUs win % has been .425. Since 2003 its been .566. OSU was arguably the worst brand in major college football at the start of the BCS era. Under Riley OSU has become a respectable, winning program that consistently poses a threat in the P12.

  • sobayquail

    NJ Trojan
    Outstanding analysis.
    You have good recall.

  • Evil Robot

    Yeah. Riley is the guy you should try to emulate. Eight wins over the past two years, that’s the path SC wants to be on. The reason he’s not worried about intrusive media may have something to do with the fact he can finish 3-9, with a loss to Sacramento State, and still keep his job.

  • dtksr1

    Wait a minute Scott Wolf… Riley is a coach that consistently losses games he should win and wins 1 or 2 games a year he should lose. His very existence still at OSU is due to wins over USC, nothing more. That has been his performance from the beginning and which is why he eventually gets on the coaching hot seat list. He would have continued the losing ways of our football program had Garrett been successful in prying Riley away from the Chargers!

  • gotroy22

    Mike Riley wins with no talent or depth while Lane Kiffin loses 1 or 2 games a year he should win with a team 3 deep in 5 star recruits.