Lincoln Riley ranks fourth among college football coaches in terms of salary, based on USA Today’s data. It’s likely that USC is among the top 10, possibly even top five, in assistant coach salaries.
The expectation with such high pay is to achieve top-10 results. As Riley enters his third year at USC, the team, staff, program, and vision are all under his control. Yet, the return on investment from USC in Riley has been lacking.
This became evident after USC’s devastating 29-28 loss to Maryland. Despite leading in the fourth quarter of their losses, USC has been unable to close out games effectively.
Riley was asked about the team’s struggles in closing games, to which he replied, “I don’t know.” However, what’s crucial is finding solutions to the team’s on-field shortcomings, a task Riley has yet to accomplish.
Repeatedly, USC’s defense fails to make crucial stops, the offense falters in critical moments, and special teams make costly errors. These issues have resulted in the team consistently losing games.
As USC looks ahead to next season’s challenging schedule, with tough matchups against Notre Dame, Oregon, and Michigan, there is a need to address not just talent recruitment but also attention to detail.
Riley’s performance as the head coach is under scrutiny, given the pattern of close losses and blown leads. Changes within the program structure may be necessary to address these recurring issues.
Despite calls for his firing, a realistic scenario involves Riley and USC working together to overcome their current challenges. The team’s culture improvement will be tested in the coming weeks, with the goal of keeping the players motivated and engaged.
Heading into late October with nothing but pride to play for, USC’s situation in Year 3 under Riley is far from ideal.
(Photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)