USC Morning Buzz: Other Third-Year Coaches Find Way To Win

It was about a year ago that people who work for USC went on YouTube and said that Lincoln Riley’s first season was misleading because it masked the enormous rebuild that would require more time.

Things were getting better, they said. Progress was being made, they assured the fans. Well, they never envisioned a 6-6 record in 2024. Don’t expect any contrition today.

Besides, the premise was faulty when you look at some other third-year coaches.

SMU is 11-1 under third-year coach Rhett Lashlee. Miami is 10-2 under third-year coach Mario Cristobal. Oregon has lost 5 games in three seasons with Dan Lanning. Riley lost more games than that this season. Let’s also remember that Kalen DeBoer was 25-3 in two seasons at Washington.

Riley is doing something that was thought to be unthinkable when he got hired: Making USC look like an incredibly difficult job.

It is if you are too stubborn to adjust your aloof ways.

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23 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Other Third-Year Coaches Find Way To Win

  1. Barry Odem at UNLV has gone 9-5 and now 10-2 and will play Boise in the title game, UNLV could very well be undefeated right now.

    Riley = DUMPSTER FIRE

    Liked by 1 person

  2. WR Jerome Miles decommitted from USC, said he ” talked to God about this and please respect his decision. ”

    Well, Jerome must talk to God a lot because he was at West Jordan HS before he went to Corner Canyon HS. These schools are miles apart geographically as well as economically and well, CC wins state championships and West doesn’t.

    Then he committed to the U of Utah, must have talked to God and flipped to USC and then talked to God again and will probably flip to T A & M.

    WR’s are a dime a dozen, if it opens a space for a DL or OL I’m all for him leaving.

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  3. Wiley wasted his first 2-years at SC, especially in keeping around his defensive leader. To the “inexperienced eye” strides were made this season despite the misleading record

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  4. Can’t believe I am saying this, but Helton’s best is better than Riley’s best, and Darnold is not Caleb Williams.

    16 years since Pete left, and we are left with a 6-6 season, losses to Minnesota, UDub, Maryland, and a Mich team that practically ran a 1940s single wing offense.

    D’Anton Lynn had a couple of good games where he made some effective halftime adjustments, but in many games he didn’t, including not stopping the run on Saturday against a QB he ran better than he threw.

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    1. Would you trade Dave Aranda as DC over Lynn ? If Aranda gets fired, and he probably will, Riley of Cohen need to call him ASAP. Aranda sucks as a head coach but he’s a top DC.

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  5. Some sportsmen say that a coach should win a national championship by his 3rd year. But Nick Saban at LSU needed 4-years

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  6. Pete Carroll arrived at SC after the Paul Hackett debacle, and he turned them into a #1 team in 3 years, so it can be done. Riley isn’t the guy to do it though.

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  7. Everyone needs to remember this. Riley has never (and i repeat) never built a program. I said from the beginning, you don’t spend 111m on a coach who has never built or rebuilt a program. Even if he has a national title under his belt. Riley was handed a top notch program from Bob Stoops and from there to the time he left it was on a slight downward trajectory. Before that he had never been a head coach nor had he worked for a head coach that rebuilt a program. These are the things you look at while you are doing your due diligence in hiring.

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    1. McKay had never built one either, let alone be a head coach, but he knew how to coach.

      Riley is a petulant child, but he ain’t going anywhere soon.

      Look at the 2026 schedule and cringe

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    1. I knew there was something amiss and then when he banned the reporter it became evident he is On The Spectrum and not head coach material… too prickly and controlling.

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