There are several disappointing college football teams, but none are quite at the level of the USC Trojans.
Entering the season as national title contenders, many “experts” predicted Lincoln Riley’s team to run the table and go undefeated.
Led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner and potential #1 overall draft pick, Caleb Williams, anything less than a Playoff berth was going to be an all-out disaster.
Well, as it turns out, Riley’s Trojans won’t come anywhere close to sniffing the Playoff.
Caleb Williams was extremely emotional after tonight’s loss, crying with him familypic.twitter.com/2MRRZ7SRZO
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 5, 2023
Exposed most of all in this nightmare 2023 USC season has been Riley and his flat-out inability to recruit capable defensive players – let alone coach and develop them.
The defense is far from the only issue, but they more so than any other unit have torpedoed the Trojans season.
Appearing on “The Matt Barrie Show,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum did not mince words when expressing his thoughts on Riley and the program he’s running in Hollywood.
“Two years ago, Lincoln Riley was the talk of the country … He’s overrated … Let’s quit sugarcoating it. He’s a great recruiter, he’s a great quarterback whisperer. But I’ve yet to see how you can take Lincoln Riley seriously as a top-five coach in this country,” Finebaum said.
Riley, who garnered significant attention for his explosive success at Oklahoma, has faced mounting criticism as the Trojans struggle on the defensive side of the ball.
Scoring points is rarely going to be a problem for a Riley-led team … It’s all of the other areas of coaching and running a (supposedly) elite program where the jury is still out.
“Riley has won a lot of games in his time between Hollywood and Norman, but it’s clear that he’s still searching for answers on the defensive side of the ball,” Finebaum added.
Riley’s recent decision to fire defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has not yielded immediate results.
In last week’s matchup against Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks, USC’s defense allowed 36 points, further exposing the Trojan’s defensive holes.
(In fairness, the Ducks offense is a tall task for any defense.)
However, Finebaum’s comments reflect a growing sentiment that Riley’s coaching abilities are being questioned as the Trojans face challenges heading into the final stretch of the season.
Needless to say, this season is a failure for Riley based on the sky-high expectations he and the Trojans entered the season with.
Joining the Big 10 next year, the task won’t be getting any easier.
What do you make of Riley as a coach?
Is he indeed overrated as Finebaum says he is?
What does he need to do, besides the obvious, to improve as an overall HEAD coach???