No escape: Lincoln Riley was going to face a challenging 2024 schedule no matter what

One way or another, Riley was going to change conferences in 2024, whether from the #Big12 to the #SEC or the #Pac12 to the #B1G. Let’s discuss.

We live in a world where Lincoln Riley coaches at USC, and we’re very happy we live in such a world. Yet, with the 2024 Southeastern Conference football schedule being released on Wednesday evening, it is impossible to not devote at least a little time and thought to the subject of what life would be like for Riley if he had stayed at Oklahoma.

Sooners Wire has you covered, providing Oklahoma football’s SEC schedule for 2024.

Sooners Wire’s Bryant Crews wrote this in reaction to the announcement that Oklahoma would host Alabama in the 2024 SEC season:

“The Sooners hold the all-time lead at 3-2-1 with their most recent win in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.

“These are two schools that are in the top 10 all-time in wins. Every time they meet, it’s a heavyweight battle. The Sooners handed the Crimson Tide a 37-27 loss in Bama’s last trip to Norman in 2002. It will be just the third time they have played on either school’s campus and the first time since 2003 when Oklahoma visited Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Brent Venables has some success against the Crimson Tide, helping Clemson win two national championships against Alabama in the College Football Playoff.”

Imagine if Riley, not Venables, was coaching OU this season. Just how different would his world have been compared to his current life in Los Angeles? It’s worth taking a look in the middle of June, before we all focus on August camp and the 2023 USC season: