The USC Trojans entered the 2023 college football season as one of the preseason favorites to win the national title. But after four losses in their last five games, USC has been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention as well as Pac-12 Championship contention. And college football expert Paul Finebaum is blaming head coach Lincoln Riley.
During an appearance an episode of ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday, Paul Finebaum called out Lincoln Riley for USC’s struggles this season, making it clear that he sees Riley as overrated.
“Two years ago, Lincoln Riley was the talk of the country. He’s overrated – let’s quit sugarcoating it,” Finebaum said on the show according to On3.
While Finebaum did acknowledge that Riley has some strengths as a recruiter and as a quarterback guru, he does not think he stacks up among the elite coaches in college football.
“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.
To be fair, Riley has revitalized USC and brought renewed interest to the powerhouse program, but it’s safe to say that the team hasn’t been on par with the top teams in college football.
