Lincoln Riley fires a shot over the bow of Georgia and the SEC
By Chip Rouse
Lincoln Riley apparently has picked up the gauntlet from former Sooner head coach Bob Stoops in putting into question the hype around the perceived greatness of SEC football.
Related Story: Defensive shutouts far less prevalent than in early days of OU football
As a guest of Danny Kannell and Taylor Zarzour on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM on Tuesday, Riley was asked why Big 12 teams have so much trouble playing defense.
The OU head coach, considered one of the brightest, young offensive minds in college football today and the Sooners’ offensive coordinator for two seasons before moving up to his current role, took that as an opportunity to point out how difficult it was for Georgia’s highly rated defense to stop Oklahoma’s high-octane offense in the College Football Playoff last season.
"“If you throw Georgia in the Big 12 every year,” Riley said, “there is no way they are a top-5 defense in the country.”"
That quote literally went viral over the internet and was picked up widely by media sources, particularly in the South and Southwest, home of SEC and Big 12 country.
When Stoops was in the driver’s seat at OU, he regularly took shots at all the talk about how great the SEC is compared to the rest of college football. Back in 2013, during an offseason Sooner Caravan tour, Stoops said, at the top, the SEC has some of the best teams in the country, but that doesn’t go for the full conference, referring mostly to the lower half of the league.
Jason Kersey, then a staff writer for the Oklahoma City Oklahoman, quoted Stoops as saying at the time:
"Much of the SEC’s exalted reputation is the result of “propaganda that gets fed to you.”"
Stoops’ point at the time — which, incidentally, still holds reasonably true today — was that the top teams in the SEC, far and away, were the better teams in that league and in the country, but that the SEC, top to bottom, was not as balanced as the Big 12.
Getting back to Riley’s shot over the bow this week, he was simply making the point that if Georgia and, perhaps by extension, Alabama had to face the top Big 12 offenses every week, their defensive stats wouldn’t be as impressive as they appear.
Oklahoma lost to Georgia 54-48 in double overtime in a CFP semifinal game in the Rose Bowl last season. Georgia had the nation’s sixth best defense last season among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams, limiting opponents to 16 points and 295 yards of total offense per game.
The Sooners scored 45 points in regulation against the Bulldogs and gained 531 total yards (242 rushing and 289 passing). That was 43 more yards than Georgia allowed any of its other 15 opponents last season and 161 more than the Bulldogs allowed against Alabama in the national championship game.
Further to Riley’s point, four Big 12 teams ranked in the top 20 last season in total offense, including Nos. 1 and 2: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Texas Tech was No. 16 and West Virginia No. 20. Only one SEC team finished in the top 20 a year ago in total offense (Ole Miss, no. 18).
The only way to realistically settle the SEC football vs. the Big 12 debate, or SEC vs. the rest of college football, is head to head on the gridiron.
Big 12 teams are 33-42-1 all-time against teams from the SEC and 28-40 since 2000.
Next: Lincoln Riley quickly establishing place among Big 12 coaching hierarchy
Oklahoma has fared better than its fellow Big 12 comrades in arms against SEC competition. The Sooners are 14-8-2 all-time against the SEC in football. Since 2000, OU is 7-4 against SEC teams, including a perfect 3-0 record vs. Alabama.