Lincoln Rileys USC tenure could end with loss against Ohio States backup quarterback, and $70m buyout
Lincoln Rileys USC tenure could end with loss against Ohio States backup quarterback, and $70m buyout
Should Lincoln Rileys tenure at USC come down to what happens this weekend against an Ohio State team playing with a backup quarterback in what was supposed to be a marquee matchup for the Trojans?
Absolutely, and now it's a must win.
One way or another, everything could come to a head Saturday night in Los Angeles for a USC team coming off an embarrassing loss to Wisconsin in Madison.
This was supposed to be the year for Lincoln Riley to have his team in the college football playoff and compete for a national championship. The pieces appeared to be in place, with quarterback Jayden Maiava leading an offense expected to rank among the Big Tens best.
Throw in a defense led by Gary Patterson, and the recipe for success was being put together inside the Trojans' football complex.
Unfortunately for the USC fans that were praying for some type of return on investment after showing up on a weekly basis, sometimes in the blistering California heat, we are once again on the brink of total implosion for Lincoln Riley.
And, the head coach had the nerve to sit at the podium after losing to Wisconsin and discuss a win at Penn State just two weeks prior.
"You have to own it, this is the same team that played a way different brand of football at Penn State two weeks ago and we're very capable of doing that again in the coming weeks," Lincoln Riley said after the Wisconsin loss.
"But we gotta do it, and it's gonna take all of coaches and players to do it, and that's what we're gonna do."
Sorry, that isnt going to make Trojan fans feel any better that you went on the road and beat a Big Ten team earlier in the month, then to turn around and lose to a Wisconsin team that was not on the same level when it comes to talent.
A lifeless effort that saw the Trojans score just seven points in the game.
Oh, and if USC fans wanted to feel even worse about the loss, Wisconsin passed for only 58 yards in the win over the Trojans.
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The reality is that this experiment feels all but over, and Ohio State could end up being the final nail in a coffin that has been in the process of being assembled for over a year.
You wanna see things get contentious around USC?
Have the administration get into a standoff with Riley and his agent over the reported $70 million buyout that USC would owe the head coach if he were to be fired.
But in this era of college athletics, schools can no longer afford to sit around and pray it gets better. Okay, maybe Florida State can penny-pinch and hold off on firing Mike Norvell until they raise enough money by passing around the offering plate to boosters on a Sunday morning.
Not USC, and not during one of the most chaotic times in college athletics. If Lincoln Riley could not win with Caleb Williams slinging the football, what makes fans think he can win now?
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