IMO, Riley > Pelini as a game day coach and does a better job at coaching players up through the season. He is as good if not better than Bo with how liked he is by his players and their families. Is he a better recruiter? Don't know about that, but he is a damned good talent evaluator and took the dumpster fire that was Oregon St, and turned them into a team that consistently beat some big names (and had some really bad losses).
I don't love the hire, but with the right coords (still hoping for Frost) and our resources, it's his shot to prove he is top coach (which I don't think he was ever going to have a chance to do at OSU).