Paul Finebaum has been hard on Lincoln Riley in the past.

After Riley’s USC Trojans went to Michigan and lost on Saturday, it would’ve been easy to see Finebaum piling on Riley. Instead, the veteran analyst admitted that he gained some respect for the coach.

“Listen, I did a good job of writing him off before the season,” Finebaum admitted. “I’m impressed that they have a defense.”

The Trojans fought hard against the Wolverines, but ultimately ended up falling 27-24. The Trojan defense allowed just 32 passing yards but the run-first Wolverines racked up 290 rushing yards.

Still, the Trojans have the No. 47 total defense in the nation so far, after finishing 2023 with the No. 119 unit.

“I still feel like (Riley) has a good football team, though,” Finebaum said. “It feels almost complete, not totally, but almost.”

The offense has never been a problem for the Trojans. The team outgained the Wolverines on Saturday and QB Miller Moss had another big game. Moss threw for 283 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT against a tough Michigan defense.

Finally, Finebaum offered a brutally honest blurb to end the segment.

“I came away feeling a lot better, and that’s not me pandering,” explained Finebaum. “I don’t really care that much for Lincoln Riley so it’s not like I’m trying to get invited to his house for coffee. I’m just trying to make a statement that contradicts the one I made a couple months ago.”

The Trojans are now in the thick of B1G play, with games against Wisconsin and Minnesota next on the schedule.