OU's Lincoln Riley Optimistic About 2020 Season; Says 'The World Is Going To Need Football'
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Oklahoma's head coach Lincoln Riely expressed optimism about the 2020 NCAA football season on a conference call Tuesday, March 31st.
"I feel by September, the world is going to need football," Riley said, according to Ryan Albert of the Oklahoman. "Hopefully, I think a lot of that will be determined by our country's response to this and how serious every single person takes it. Hopefully we, as a country, can do the best we can."
Riley also made it clear that he is not ready to think about a canceled or suspended college football season, despite what has been happening with other leagues. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said this morning, April 1st, that he has "no idea" when the NBA season might start back up.
"I definitely haven't considered it," he said, according to Parker Thune of Sports Illustrated. "I don't think it's gonna do me or us any good. None of us know exactly what it looks like right now. I think if we're spending time on that right now, then we're not spending time on our guys. We'll adjust as time goes on."
Great meeting today with the best staff in America‼️#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/2uWn0UgRay
— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) March 26, 2020
Over the weekend, March 29th, the Big 12 announced new guidelines that are now allowing coaches and players to hold virtual meetings and for universities to send players workout plans and limited equipment. Riley thinks the decision will help his team if or when the Sooners take the field in 2020. "I was excited about the steps," Riley said. "We needed to take them. So glad that we got to a point where we were able to do a few of those things.
Under Riely, the Sooners have gone 36-6 and won three Big 12 championships, however, they have gone 0-3 in bowl games in that same span.