Everyone is talking about Lincoln Riley at USC, but not for good reasons. With another Trojan season sinking into irrelevance, national columnists such as Blake Toppmeyer of USA TODAY Sports are wondering what's next for a man who is plainly failing at USC:
"His alternative," Toppmeyer wrote about Riley, "is staying at a job where he looks despondent, where his program lacks momentum, and where his career is in a state of retreat. Reach for that restart button, while he still can, and head home to Texas, if Baylor would have him. Otherwise, Riley is just coaching for the buyout, working for a boss who didn’t hire him. And, massive though the buyout check would be, Riley is only 43 years old, and getting fired typically doesn’t do wonders for one’s
career."
Toppmeyer added, crucially:
"For USC, Riley leaving for Baylor would be an ideal scenario. His bosses ought to email his resume for him. Anything to get out of this contract with Riley that’s got five years left on it and, more importantly, a beaucoup-bucks buyout attached to it. If Riley wants out, USC should help him pack."
There are a lot more ins and outs to Baylor's choice of head coach. Toppmeyer went through some options such as Jason Eck of New Mexico, one of the rising stars in the business. That point aside, Lincoln Riley certainly makes sense for Baylor on a lot of levels. Baylor needs to make sure Riley makes more sense than other candidates.
USC has to hope that's the case.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USA TODAY Sports columnist speculates on Lincoln Riley to Baylor
