Did Kirby Smart just call Lincoln Riley for taking out the SEC?

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart may have just summoned new USC head coach Lincoln Riley for bypassing the SEC.

With the biggest game of the season ahead of Saturday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart could have done a not-so-subtle shot at former Oklahoma coach and new USC head coach Lincoln Riley .

There has been some debate about whether or not Riley turned down the SEC. His former employer is expected to join the SEC in a few years to turn it into a 16-team league, alongside arch-rival Texas. Riley already has good guaranteed work at Norman and will make the switch to the new league if he stays. While the opportunity to rebuild in a place like USC is tempting, here’s what Smart has to say.

“The pressure on the coaching staff to win right now is huge,” said smart ahead of the 2021 SEC Championship game against Alabama on Saturday. “I think you have to understand when you get into this business, the nature of this business and the high stakes involved in SEC training, that’s part of it. It’s not for everyone. “

He may not be named, but Smart seems more supportive of Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU than Riley leaving Oklahoma to take over USC.

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Smart will continue: “I think people realize that when they come to our league, it’s not just how difficult it is physically, but also the recruitment process, year-round transfer and portal process. . It’s taxing, so you better have a quality staff, a great governing body, and you better be able to handle a variety of situations.”

Georgia may have one of the best shows in the country, but Dawgs competes in the same SEC as Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies, and now Kelly takes over the Bayou Bengals. The SEC will devour even the most successful adult coaches alive. Just ask Bret Bielema, Dan Mullen and Ed Orgeron how things are going. But did Riley turn down the SEC?

This is all about the ever-changing dynamics of the college football scene. Oklahoma used to be the preeminent program in the Big 12. Sooners are in the top three in the nation, behind only Alabama and Ohio. However, Oklahoma is going to join the SEC and that changes everything. Without a deep recruiting base in the state, how much better would the Sooners outshine Auburn?

By going to USC, Riley takes over an oppressed West Coast blue-blooded group with only one major threat in the Oregon conference. Although Kyle Whittingham’s Utah Utes is a threat, USC should be a priority to win the Pac-12 South in 2023. From there, it’s all about entering the Trojan College Rugby Round. . Aside from money and a change of scenery, this is why Riley is gone.

On the other side of the coin, Kelly leaving another great job at Notre Dame for LSU speaks volumes. It told the college football world that Kelly accepted that he couldn’t win the national championship at Notre Dame. The combination of academic limitations and not competing in a conference affects the Irishmen’s chances of going undefeated and winning it all. This is why he left.

In the early 60s, it seemed that Kelly wasn’t afraid of smoke. He can bend his new-found southern accent at LSU basketball games, but he’s up for the challenge and the big expectations that come with taking on the SEC senior job. While both moves make a lot of sense, it’s clear which one Smart respects the most out of the two.

If Riley wants to win the national championship at USC, he will have to defeat an SEC powerhouse.

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