USC coach Lincoln Riley’s departure from Oklahoma rocked the college football landscape this offseason and some have speculated he bolted for the Pac-12 because of his former team’s move to the toughest conference in college football . Riley denied that idea and said Oklahoma’s move from the Big 12 to the SEC had nothing to do with his decision to join the Trojans.
“I heard the whole SEC narrative,” Riley told CBS Sports. “To me, the SEC has nothing to do with it. It’s all about the program that you’re at and the position you think you can get to.