Lincoln Riley: Gary Patterson, Matt Wells Firings 'Not Good for Our Game'

Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Lincoln Riley is not a fan of the recent coaching changes in the Big 12.

Texas Tech fired head coach Matt Wells on Oct. 25 despite having a 5-3 record at the time. TCU and longtime head coach Gary Patterson mutually agreed to part ways Sunday. Riley wasn't happy with the timing of the midseason oustings.

"It's not good for our game, not good for our league," Riley said. "I hope we can find a better solution than this because I'm afraid it's going to become the trend. If you're asking maybe a reason why, I think everybody is scared they're going to miss out on who they want to hire."

Patterson was the second-longest tenured active head coach in the FBS, trailing only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. He is TCU's winningest coach in program history with a record of 181-79. The 61-year-old led the Horned Frogs to six conference titles and nine bowl game wins, including the 2011 Rose Bowl and 2014 Peach Bowl.

Riley expressed how he felt about the firings, and he didn't hold back.

"To see two guys out in midseason like that, one with a winning record and one is undoubtedly the greatest coach in the history of his school," Riley said. "Seeing Gary Patterson go out in the middle of the season is just — I don't know what to think of it, man. I was sick when I heard the news, to be completely honest.

"I know it's a tough business," he continued. "Our jobs are scrutinized and we're big boys and can live with big-boy decisions. But man, what he did at that place and to not even finish out the year, I don't know."

Riley acknowledged it's likely that these coaching changes happened when they did because schools don't want to fall behind in the recruiting period. But he feels strongly that coaches need to be better protected and the timing of the firings didn't sit right with him.

"We may have to look at something maybe like the pros do, or something like that that really draws some hard lines on when [firings] can happen and when they can't," Riley said. "Gary Patterson not finishing a season at a place he built? Man, that ain't right."

Patterson declined TCU officials' offer to finish the season. The eighth-ranked Sooners are off this weekend before returning to action on Nov. 13 against No. 12 Baylor.