This isn’t the way it was supposed to go for Lincoln Riley at USC. His arrival in Los Angeles was supposed to elevate the Trojans back amongst the elite in the country, but instead USC is now 3-4 and an even more embarrassing 1-4 in their inaugural season in the Big Ten.
The hype surrounding Riley was deserved when he was hired. In five seasons with Oklahoma, he lost 10 games. He has lost nine in his last 20 games with the Trojans. Think about that for a second.
And Riley has been very well compensated for his losing. He signed a 110-million-dollar contract, received a home in Manhattan Beach and has access to a private jet. And for that the Trojans are 1-4 in the Big Ten.
While he experienced plenty of success at Oklahoma, it is also true that he inherited the job and team from legendary head coach Bob Stoops. While he went 55-10 during his five seasons with the Sooners, it can easily be argued that he never elevated the program. And there is no arguing that he hasn’t elevated the Trojans in Los Angeles.
USC didn’t give Riley 110 million to be fighting for bowl eligibility in November, but that will likely be the case in a few weeks. And because of that, Riley’s time in Los Angeles is almost over. Or is it?
There is one huge problem in firing Riley. He is still owed over 70 million dollars. I sometimes think that patience is a lost virtue in the current college football world, especially with coaches. However, when it comes to Riley, I’d fully understand if USC showed him the door. However, that won’t happen in 2024.
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Riley has complained about the lack of NIL money at USC. And while the Trojans are far from poor, the reality is that they can’t compete with the nation’s elite. And with how the college football landscape is nowadays, if you aren’t amongst the NIL elite, you’re not going to be amongst the elite on the field either.
So, with this huge NIL hurdle in the program, how can anyone believe that the school would be able to give Riley a 70-million buyout? And then on top of that, hire another high-priced coach. It isn’t reality.
The reality is that the Trojans need to figure out a way to fix what they currently have. A good start would be to direct most of whatever available NIL money they will have this winter towards improving their offensive and defensive lines. The defense has been a liability for several years now, but the line has been especially disappointing. USC has spent too much time and money adding quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs, while mostly ignoring the lines. That needs to change immediately.
Nothing has gone the way that USC had hoped this season. And for many fans it won’t go the way they want this off-season when Riley isn’t fired. But that is the reality of the situation.
