Lincoln Riley is going through a tough moment. But it’s made tougher because he has no base of support.
He is invisible on campus. He doesn’t interact with the students. He doesn’t interact with the faculty or staff. He doesn’t go to booster meetings to meet the public.
He didn’t host the Salute to Troy, which is always the job of the coach. He really doesn’t even do that much with former players, some of whom have complained about being unable to go to practices under his regime.
All of this is fine when you are winning. You can do whatever you want. But when you lose, you might need some friends.
Famously, in 1996, John Robinson almost lost his job. But rightly or wrongly, he had had a lot of boosters and ex-players who supported him and it got him one more year on the job. If USC loses a couple more games, I really wonder how many people would be disappointed if Riley decided to go somewhere else.
In 1950, USC students rallied in support of embattled coach Jeff Cravath.

- The USC-Washington game will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and be on ABC.
Man that is brutal but true
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What idiots thought that this clown Lincoln Riley from Mule Shoe, Texas was going to be able to transition to the big city lights of LA.?
That clown is in over his head, socially and in terms of coaching football on USC’s level
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As I recall you loved the guy when he made the Pac-12 Championship game
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You’re full of shit, you are the original Lincoln Riley fanboy.
I’ve been telling you clowns this idiot Lincoln Riley is Clay Helton 2.0 since he was hired
Nice effort though
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All thought and believed THIS was great move by Bohn for USC – everyone.
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Wolfy is on it!
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Looks like Grinch is as good as gone, but the D still needs bigger and/or better players at LB, interior D-line and the secondary. The only silver lining to Bear’s suspension is that it is not against ORE or UDub. Outside of him and perhaps Byrd and Muhammed, I don’t think any of USC’s starting D would be close to starting at a top 5 program.
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trojan1967,
Until Grinch has left for good, you never know what will happen. SC needs to recruit. However, Riley lives off the portal. That is good for a few players, but not to build or sustain a team.
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Dick Wolf, I mean Scott Wolf is going full commando on a Riley character assassination.
Wolf has set out to generate drama to make Riley look like a total loser. More pathetic rants to help fuel the demise of anything related to USC. It’s been his schtick for many many years.
The total loser is the guy who runs this third late blog…..
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You expecting Wolf to turn over a new leaf at his age?
Cheetahs can’t change their spots
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Does he have a base of support among the players, outside of Caleb?
In the transfer portal era, players are more mercenary.
With Pete, players totally came to play for Pete. Very much so for McKay.
I remember Carson was genuinely upset when they got rid of Hackett.
Do players have that attachment to Riley?
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Probably the players are ambivalent about Wiles
But recall how ‘Ton-o-Hel’ was liked by his players,
and how did that work out?
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I think Helton was liked by the class when he was first appointed. And of course, they won the Rose Bowl. Later classes, I’m not so sure.
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Whether Wiley has support or not there is still the little matter that he is owed about $80-million or so. I don’t see anybody else picking up that tab other than the contractually-committed USC
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If only Rick hadn’t spent that $100M on a failed campaign. 😉
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Rick didn’t mind spending $100-million on himself or his campaign
but that is the extent of his “charity”
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“Who goofed, I’ve got to know.” ~Howard Cosell
Call me “MS. FOLT.
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The great sports radio host Jim Healy used to always play that drop clip from Cosell on his show
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[audio src="https://webmail.lerctr.org/~transit/healy/goof.wav" /]
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Coach 162 acts like he’s a King
Personal driver
Whined about his parking spot
Apparently he doesn’t interact with the Hoi Polli
Wants a football only facility
Nice hire Bohn
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That wasn’t your position when SC qualified for the Pac-12 Championship game
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The fact that Wiles did not host the ‘Salute to Troy’ is telling.
The guy is an introvert who is not comfortable in social settings other than with his family or a few close friends.
He probably wanted a closer parking space to avoid that 5-minute walk where he might have to engage a few passersby
As is true with any introvert who prefers to be left alone he will have to suffer alone
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Bill Belichick has often been perceived as an introvert.
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I’d buy that
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You have often been perceived as insane, Charlie Bucket the Bruin Fan aka CowardlyGabby/TebowObama.
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The same SC folks who are now clamoring for the head of Wiley
were lined up to ‘kiss his ring’ last year until Tulane
Sports-for-money is a most peculiar business because you can be
“On top in April, shot down in May”
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Wiles said prior to Utah that a victory over the Utes would change the negative ND narrative. Of course that didn’t happen
But a predicted victory over the Bears and an upset over Wash would change the complexion of the situation a bit at least before Oregon
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Wiley might be saying to himself, “Who needs anybody’s support,
I got me a fat SC contract’
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First off, Wiles is not going anywhere he won’t be fired
Second, Wiley might be the victim in his 2nd year of his 1st year success which was partially built on his defense having an extraordinary season of takeaways which could not possibly be replicated in 2023
Third, even to the “untrained eye,” a phrase Wiles has come to regret,
it can be clearly gleaned that this SC football team needed a great deal of rebuilding and still does, a project that won’t be complete in 2024
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If I’m Riley I am staying 500ft from poontang, sexting or any texting, liquor, driving, anyone with any problems, players and their problems, fans, children, politics, investments… virtually anything. Because you can be sure there are boosters now hiring Private Investigators to dig something up or setting something up to say a moral clause has been broken. As an ‘SC alum I hope they catch him with a dead hooker. 😉
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Global,
The dead hooker happened to Red Saunders the morally bankrupt ugly coach except he was the one who went dead.
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The AD needs to have an honest talk with him,that is if the AD is honest and can objectively discern exactly what is going on and ofeer some solutions.Character assassination is no way to improve things.Obviously wolfie believes he knows all and is the ultimate source of knowledge. He isn’t. Riley is a fast riser and success has gone to his head, he won’t know how to handle this demise based on keeping grinch whom for some reason can’t do the job the linclon states he can. The linclon needs to realize the football team winning is the only objective,not protecting friends. He is a football coach in the offensive guru mold and needs a defensive guru, which grinch is not,or the team will never reach the level of Howard Jones teams,Jess Hill teams and John McKay-PC days.They all had great defenses 1st and foremost. I think he is ready for a reality check on his inability to put the SC football team winning over his current coach associations.Watch for development in this area.
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Tim,
Riley has to fire himself as an o-cordiantor and learn and become the head coach. He has not learned. He has to be ruthless and not have friends on the staff. He is married to USC and not his assistant coaches. he has to do what is best for USC foootball and not for himself.
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Mr. 1970s calling balls and strikes. Are you aware that some of the best
HC in college and the NFL are also the primary play callers…..
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Scooter and Sparrow,
What was the fans reaction to when Mckay did not have a great season back in 1970 and 1975? Were the fans just as rabid or even worse that today’s fans about SC not succeeding? We gots to know
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you’re stuck in the 1970’s…..fast forward!
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No, PT, the SC fans in the 1970s only received football information through the 2 L.A. newspapers and an occasional radio interview.
Today due to social media primarily “news” gets out to everybody and now we have a platform (internet) to vent
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Incidentally, crime is down nationally but most people don’t know this because the media plays up crimes
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