Paul Finebaum calls Lincoln Riley 'overrated' as a head coach

Over the course of this season, USC has been exposed in more ways than one. However, after their fourth loss on Saturday, Paul Finebaum believes the true colors that we should be taking note of most are those of Lincoln Riley.

Finebaum denounced Riley during an episode of ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday. To him, Riley is now at the center of blame for what has happened with the Trojans this fall and has done what’s neccessary to remove himself from the conversation as one of the sport’s best coaches.

“Two years ago, Lincoln Riley was the talk of the country. He’s overrated – let’s quit sugarcoating it,” said Finebaum.

“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 Riley’s credit, and as Finebaum pointed out in some senses, there are notes on his resume that are quality. There’s nothing wrong with an 81.1% winning percentage, an average top-five finish on offense, and several offensive stars that he has helped to develop is better than most coaches offer.

However, there is starting to appear to be a ceiling on what his teams can be. Defenses allowing an average of over 28 points per game is the start of that conversation. That, among other issues, have led to several seasons of underachieving. That’s specifically so as of late and including this current campaign in Los Angeles.

The list of coaches that programs would want to have over Riley still isn’t too long. Even so, Finebaum, like some others, are beginning to question just how elite of a coach that Riley really is.

Caleb Williams: ‘It’s a weird feeling’ not being in position to play for a championship

Hollywood’s bright lights have continued to dim on USC with their latest loss in Eugene being their fourth in five games. The Trojans have fallen off completely since the start of October and have since reached very unfamiliar territory for one Caleb Williams.

Williams spoke in the postgame press conference following USC’s 36-27 loss at Oregon on Saturday night. With the Trojans long out of the national title picture and now out of the running for the Pac-12 Championship, it’s a spot, one that’s well away from contention, that he hasn’t found himself in often considering what he and every other player works so hard to achieve.

“It’s weird, like you said,” Williams said. “I haven’t played much, my whole career playing ball, where I’m not at the end of the season and have a chance to go to the championship or whatever the case may be.”

“It’s a weird feeling, it’s tough,” continued Williams. “It’s tough to lose and tough to not be in the position to win championships, which you train super hard for for years to be in position to win championships.”

Still, with essentially all of their goals now off the table, Williams isn’t going to stop. As their QB1, he’s going to lead them into one final contest next weekend inside The Coliseum.

“It’s tough to deal with but you’ve got to keep going, keep edging forward,” said Williams. “As a leader of this team, I’ve got to lead from ahead and from the top. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”