FanPost

Nebraska Hires... Mike Riley? An Odd Move

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In a surprise move today, Nebraska hired former Alabama player and Oregon State coach Mike Riley.


Riley has served 14 seasons as head coach at Oregon State. He is a likeable guy and well-respected around the college football world. In other words, the opposite of Bo Pelini.

Son of a football coach, Riley was born in Idaho and played his high school ball in Corvallis while his dad served as an assistant coach at Oregon State. Instead of staying out west, he chose to play for Bear Bryant. This was not as strange as you may think since his father was from Alabama and his uncle, Hayden Riley, was the Bama baseball coach. He also has a cousin you may have heard of: Major Ogilvie.

At the Capstone, Riley played defensive back during a glorious run from 1971–1974 in which the team went 43-5, winning SEC titles each year and the 1973 National Championship.

After graduation, he coached in the Canadian Football League (like his dad before him) before landing a job as offensive coordinator at Southern Cal under John Robinson. He began his first stint at OSU in 1997 which lasted two seasons. He left there to take the head job with the San Diego Chargers. That did not go so well. He was released after three seasons and a 14-34 record.

One season assisting at New Orleans led to a return to Corvallis where he has been since 2003. His best season may have been in 2006 when the Beavers went 10-4. Riley was a candidate for the Alabama opening but the Tide went another way.

Riley is a good and intelligent man who runs a clean program. Congratulations, Cornhuskers.

Now comes the bad part.

In his 14 seasons at OSU, he has compiled a 93–80 overall record (58–63 in the PAC). He has one 10-win season, 6 losing seasons, 8 bowl appearances, and has never one a PAC or division title. His teams have gone 29-33 in the past five years and ended this season at 5-7 (2-7). His Beavers have lost seven straight to arch-rival Oregon. He is 61 years old - only two years younger than Nick Saban.

Terms have not been released as of yet. Riley made about $1.5 million per year at Oregon State, while Bo Pelini made about $3 million at Nebraska.

I originally thought that Nebraska fired Pelini because he couldn't get over the 10-win hump. Evidently, it was because of his personality.

Good luck to Riley and the Huskers Nation but this is an odd move.

UPDATE: Mike Riley’s contract is a five-year deal that will average $2.7 million per season.

(Postscript: Wouldn't it be funny if Oregon State hired Pelini?)

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