Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Lincoln Riley gives strange answer to question about USC’s trajectory

Mark Kern

By Mark Kern

Published:

Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans battled for a long time against No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday, but the Fighting Irish took fourth-quarter interceptions back 99 and 100 yards for touchdowns to pull away for a 49-35 win.

In Year 3 under Riley, the program appears to be on a downward trajectory. In 2022, the Trojans went 11-3 and appeared to be ready to take off. Caleb Williams came back, but the team went only 8-5 last season. It has gotten worse in 2024, as the Trojans ended the regular season at 6-6.

After the loss to Notre Dame, Riley was asked about where USC is as a program, and he gave an answer that only made things more confusing and strange.

“I could sit up here for an hour and talk about the things I know are happening within this program,” Riley said. “I could rattle off all the stats, I could show you the facilities. I could show you the recruiting. I could show you the staff, I could go about that for an hour. I just don’t think it’s the appropriate time right now.”

Even former USC quarterback Matt Leinart is questioning where the program is going.

While Saturday night may not be the correct time to talk about it, the fans and media in Los Angeles are going to want to hear what is going on. Riley was expected to bring back the glory days of USC, but it has gotten worse each year he has been there.

Mark Kern