Loyal. Kind. Sincere. Humble.
Those words all describe Mike Riley, who surprised everybody on Thursday by leaving Oregon State to coach Nebraska.
As the sawdust settles, Beaver Nation is looking for an answer to why he left.
It can be found in one word that also describes Riley but rarely surfaces.
Competitive.
It’s the reason Riley left for Lincoln despite turning down offers to coach USC (twice) and his alma mater Alabama earlier in his career.
You don’t reach the level Riley has as a player and coach unless you’re addicted to winning. When you don’t have it, you ache. That need drives you to put in longer hours and invest emotionally in a way most can’t.
USC and Alabama have won a combined seven national titles since Riley turned them down.
He must have wondered, “what if?”
“At the stage of my career it was an opportunity to try something one more time,” Riley said while being introduced as Nebraska’s coach on Friday.
What he’s talking about is winning championships. He wasn’t going to do that at Oregon State.
Sure, the Beavers might occasionally knock off a top-10 team. But Oregon State has only seriously contended for a conference title twice in the past 13 years.
And it wasn’t going to get any easier. Recent rulings will allow greater compensation to athletes, which some say could reach $3,500 per player. That’s not counting the luxurious facilities it takes to draw top recruits.
Running a top-tier college football program is already expensive and is about to become more so. Simply put, college football is becoming a world of haves and have-nots.
Oregon State will further fall behind programs such as the University of Oregon. Corvallis and Eugene are only 40 miles apart, but it might as well be 40 light years in the college football universe.
Oregon’s athletic department generates $115 million a year in revenue, the ninth most in the nation, and is almost completely self-reliant. Plus, it has the most powerful benefactor in college sports in Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
Oregon State generates about $65 million, nearly one-fifth of which is subsidies.
For Riley, that was like living next door to the guy who has the mansion, fancy car, and manicured lawn. You’re reminded of the disparity every time you step out the door.
At Nebraska, Riley will have resources. He’ll compete for conference titles and run the biggest program in the state.
“I’m very confident (that) with the history and performance of Nebraska in general in football, coupled with hard work and what we do as coaches, we’re searching for that opportunity to win championships,” Riley said.
Some Oregon State fans had become disenchanted with Riley. They complained his pro-style offense was an outdated relic in the age of spread offenses.
They felt Oregon State could no longer reach its full potential with Riley.
But in the end, Riley left Oregon State because he could not reach his full potential there.
And for Beaver fans, that’s what really hurts.
