Brian Bahr is a photographer.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that Lincoln Riley will not be the head coach of the Sooners in the upcoming bowl game.
Bob Stoops is expected to be named interim head coach.
The talks between USC and Riley "really intensified" Saturday night into Sunday morning.
"For Riley, it was the appeal of Los Angeles, the local recruiting talent and the opportunity of trying to rebuild a brand," he wrote. That was very appealing to him. The alignment of the administration was something he was impressed with.
Riley told the team and his staff of his decision on Sunday. Stoops was at the meeting.
Riley denied rumors that he would be the next head coach at LSU after Oklahoma's 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
The loss to the Cowboys eliminated the Sooners from the title race. They finished with a 10-2 record and third in the conference after losing the head-to-head tie-breaker with the Bears.
The head coach of the Sooners, Riley, had a 55-10 record. He led the Sooners to four Big 12 titles and three College Football Playoff appearances.
Riley will be the new USC coach. He was fired just two games into the 2020 campaign after seven years with the USC, during which he was interim head coach for one game in 2013).
USC finished fourth in the Pac-12 South in the 2021 season.
Stoops coached the Sooners from 1999 to 2016 and compiled a 190-48 record, with a 9-9 record in bowl games. He wanted Riley to be the team's next head coach and hired him as his offensive coordinator.
Stoops is a panelist for Fox Sports. He was linked to USC and Florida's head coaching vacancies, but he wanted to stay with Fox.
