Lincoln Riley Joins Disappointing List of Current College Football Coaches
Year 2 of the Lincoln Riley didn’t go as planned as USC finished sixth in the Pac-12 standings with a 7-5 regular season and ultimately finished 8-5 on the year after beating Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
With Heisman winner Caleb Williams back under center for his third year, USC was supposed to be a legitimate national title contender out of the Pac-12. Coming into the season, Riley and company were ranked sixth in the country.
Things didn’t go as planned however, as the Trojans offensive line couldn’t provide Caleb Williams with enough time and the defense was as porous as USC had ever fielded, leading them to lose several close, high-scoring games.
The 2023 season landed Riley on a short list of coaches who have accomplished a less-than-desirable feat.
According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, Riley is one of only 10 current head coaches who began a season ranked inside the top 10 and finished the year unranked.
After the 2022 season, USC fans, and most media for that matter, felt that the Trojans had gotten the better of Oklahoma in the events that landed them with Riley and the Sooners with Brent Venables.
However, heading into 2024, there’s no doubt which program has more positive momentum, and it’s certainly not the one in southern California.
