Southern California Football Roundtable: the outlook on Riley and Rhule six years later

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USC head football coach Lincoln Riley and Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule have been competing against one another since Riley was a coach at East Carolina and Rhule was a coach at Temple. With both coaches under contract at their respective schools until 2032, their rivalry could add several more chapters in the coming years if they are able to lead successful programs.

But they have not met in a bigger football game to this point than when Riley’s Oklahoma played Rhule’s Baylor in the Big 12 championship game in 2019. A lot has changed since then, so ahead of this latest meeting, we looked back and asked our Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire writers, when Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma faced Matt Rhule and Baylor in the 2019 Big 12 Championship Game for a spot in the four-team playoff, did you think both coaches would be long-term stars?

Here is what they had to say.

Matt Zemek, Editor

I did. Remember: Matt Rhule crushed it at Temple before Baylor. I thought he was going to be a great coach for a long time, not just Lincoln Riley. It’s a shocking plot twist to see both men struggling so much, six years later.

Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire

With Riley, for sure. He was headed to his third consecutive College Football Playoff, and was coaching his third consecutive Heisman finalist at quarterback. It was hard to say with Rhule. He had one good year at Baylor and then jumped to the NFL. We did not really get enough of a sample size on him at the power conference level to know if he would be a long-term success or not. That being said, I think that it is unreasonable to have 1990s-level expectations for what you can accomplish at Nebraska. Even if Rhule goes 2-2 in his final two games, the Huskers would finish 8-4, which would be their best season in nearly a decade and absolutely constitute a successful campaign.

Micah Huff, Trojans Wire

Riley was viewed more as a coach who would have great success in college football longer; Matt Rhule seemed more like a one-hit wonder to me at the time. It is crazy that he went to coach in the NFL right after that run at Baylor. I did not think he would be back with a long-term deal with another program after that was all said and done.

Ethan Inman, Trojans Wire

Lincoln Riley was much, much, much more proven by that point. So Lincoln Riley, yes. I still believe in his potential to be a top coach, in fact, if he is self-aware enough to realize what his real strengths and weaknesses are. Matt Rhule, eh. It was one great year at Baylor. I also like Matt Rhule. I think he’s very personable and has something solid going at Nebraska, even if it’s slow moving. I need to see more to believe he can be one of the top football coaches in the country, but I think he’s a good match for Nebraska for the foreseeable future. 

Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire

It’s not shocking that the coaches of two 9-1 teams would be long-term mainstays in college football but it was certainly more expected for Riley than it was for Rhule. Riley had a Heisman candidate at quarterback every single season and Rhule had his NFL stint before returning back to the college football landscape in Nebraska.

Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire

Honestly, not really. I definitely thought Riley would be a long term star in the college football landscape, but never thought that much about Rhule. Especially after his lackluster time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. He deserves his flowers for what he’s accomplished.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC and Nebraska coaches Matt Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule met in 2019

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