Or, at least it should.
While it’s not exactly the “lifetime” deal talked about over the weekend, Oregon State nonetheless reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension with head coach Mike Riley, the school announced vi a press release very early this morning. The new pact will initially keep Riley in Corvallis through the 2019 season.
With Pete Carroll officially resigning from Southern Cal Sunday evening, the talk of Riley to Southern Cal as Carroll’s successor was about to crank up a notch or twelve. Consider this preemptive strike a rousing success.
“Due to the fact there is a lot of speculation on my future, I want to make it known that I’m very excited to be coaching at Oregon State University and I anticipate doing so for a long time,” Riley said in a statement from the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, Fla.
Needless to say, the university is very pleased that they will not be forced to replace a successful coach and undertake a search for a replacement.
“Coach Riley has done an outstanding job in leading this program to unparalleled success,” athletic director Bob De Carolis said in his own statement. “This new extension ensures his leadership will be felt for the long term and adds tremendous stability to our program. We are thankful and fortunate to have him committed to the Beaver family.”
According to the statement, "[f]ull disclosure of terms of the new contract will be announced in the near future, but one term is that his contract will roll over an additional year for every time the team participates in a bowl game.”
So, with Riley and, likely, Jeff Fisher out of the picture, where does USC now turn?
More than likely, Jack Del Rio of the Jacksonville Jaguars -- for now -- will pop to the top of the list.