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USC Morning Buzz: Another Example Of Year 2 Winner

If people want to say it’s unfair to compare Lincoln Riley to Curt Cignetti, let’s look at another Year 2 coach.

Mike Elko is 8-0 and has Texas A&M ranked No. 3 in the nation in Year 2. He also beat Notre Dame in South Bend.

Now some USC fans will immediately say, “Riley beat Elko last season!”

Yes, the Las Vegas Bowl is huge. But Elko is showing, like Cignetti, that you don’t need four years to rebuild. And Riley hasn’t even lived to expectations this year.

  • USC is a 6.5-point favorite over Nebraska.
  • USC women’s basketball lost to Arizona State, 78-76, last night in a scrimmage. That’s a surprising result especially given that Arizona State has a new coach.

39 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Another Example Of Year 2 Winner”

    2. KAM: That was an amazingly airheaded comment, even for you, Cowardly Sparrow Gabby.

      DON: Yes you have ZERO football IQ and you show it here regularly.

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  2. Most comparable comparison for Riley is Kalen DeBoer at Washington. Washington & USC both were 4-8 in 2021. Both were in the Pac-12. Both fired their head coach in mid-season. Arguably, Washington’s program was in worse shape, losing to FCS Montana at home. Both Riley & DeBoer brought in a QB that they had a prior relationship with. (Williams & Penix). Year 2: Washington is in the Title Game. USC went 8-5, losing to their 2 biggest rivals by 28 and 18. DeBoer delivered what Riley was paid to do.

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    1. Impossible to argue with anything you wrote, NIL U. Due to some personality defect, Riley suffers panic attacks [reflected in his play calling] at the end of EVERY tight game. But…nevertheless…I’m waiting to see how Riley handles the remainder of the 2025 schedule before I join the “Fire Riley” chorus….

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      1. btw, EVERYTHING about Lincoln Riley’s public persona screams he [or his lawyers] will play the hardest hardball Los Angeles has ever witnessed if he’s fired at the end of the season.

        #He’llDemandEveryPenny…AndThenSome…

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  3. It may be the case that LR is excellent with QBs and offense. But he doesn’t have the CEO/HC persona. And that may well cap USC as a 10-2 team at best going forward if he remains as HC, maybe get into the playoffs but lose in first round.

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    2. KAM:  Cowardly Gabby aka Charlie Bucket the UCLA Fan aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal’s Wife & Michael Guarino & Buddhakarma &LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf & Kathy & Foreskin Thoughts & Frank Young is as accurate as Stephen King.

      DON: Cowardly Gabby has zero football IQ. Preachy DEI loving lib LSU AD Scott Woodward would never let Ed back.

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  5. Riley’s seat may have just gotten a little warmer with the firing of Brian Kelly. He had a buyout even larger than James Franklin’s, and had a record somewhat better than Riley (34-14 vs. 31-16). The size of Riley’s buyout may still be a stumbling block, but another season that ends with 4 or 5 losses may force a change.

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  6. People always speak of coaches’ buyouts as if they are paid out when the coach is fired. They are not. They merely stay on the payroll through the end of their contract. It’s still a lot of money. Just saying.

    Now in a case, such as Kelly’s, where he took half of what his buyout was supposed to be, he may have negotiated an immediate payout. Either way, I think it’ll be a while until USC offers a ten year contract again.

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  7. So LSU fires one coach and pays him about a $50-million buyout, and then hires a new coach at presumably around $100-mil. They really love their team down Louisiana way. No way SC would do this

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    1. Wrong. The terms of his buyout are still being hammered out. He appears to be acknowledging that the results under his leadership have not been what was expected.

      Yes, he is technically owed around $50M. But some estimate he may be taking as little as 50% of that. Still a nice sum.

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      1. Only kelly’s agent and LSU know what the true figures are. Point is that SC would never dip this deep into their money coffers for a coaching change

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      2. Wrong again. The more important point is that he seems to be acknowledging that he did not meet expectations!

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  8. And so Oregron gets another turn at LSU. Imagine what he could have done at SC except Pat Haden didn’t like his Cajun accent

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    1. Wrong a third time on the same thread. Ed has expressed interest in the Oregon State job.

      Now, if LSU threw enough money at him, of course he’d consider it. But he has stated he has no interest in that job.

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      1. KAM: That’s how we know this is Cowardly Gabby impersonating the dormant Sparrow handle. Coawadly Gabby has zero football IQ.

        DON: Three dumb comments in a row gives Cowardly Sparrow Gabby the Hat Trick!

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  10. I haven’t seen any stories that Coach O wants LSU again. Would be awkward on both sides.

    Here is a list of buyouts. Per the discussion above, the buyout is a year-by-year pay, and the coach needs to perform a good faith effort to find another job, which would replace the buy out dollar for dollar.

    I can well imagine Kelly’s agent asking for a significantly diminished sum to be paid up front, and then forget about future payments.

    https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-footballs-10-largest-coach-buyouts-of-all-time-where-brian-kellys-50-million-lsu-severance-ranks/

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    1. KAM_ You are an expert on that,  Cowardly Gabby aka Charlie Bucket the UCLA Fan aka TebowObama aka The Guy who posts as So Cal’s Wife & Michael Guarino & Buddhakarma &LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf & Kathy & Foreskin Thoughts & Frank Young .

      DON: You are stupid and have ADHD.

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  12. KAM: Speaking of stupid, Cowardly Sparrow Gabby, your comments on Ed returning to LSU are right up there.

    DON:
    Search Assist

    Top candidates for the LSU head coaching position include Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss, Eli Drinkwitz from Missouri, and former coaches like Urban Meyer and Nick Saban. Other names being considered are Joe Brady, James Franklin, and Matt Campbell, among others

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      1. KAM: Cowardly Sparrow Gabby gives herself away with her zero football IQ every time.

        DON: She wasn’t allowed to play sports . She grew up mutilating her Barbie and Ken dolls.

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    1. KAM: If USC is #8 then Illinois and ND are #1 and 2. Did the ESPN and Sagarin computer nerds watch USC give the ND game away in the 4th quarter for the 2nd year in a row?

      DON: Those rankings are as accurate as a Fake News Media political poll.

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      1. Now do the video of “Angry Step Mom Screaming at Sight of Sybil’s 300th Wet Bed In A Row” …….

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      2. ANOTHER CHILDISH LAME COMMENT……YOU’RE DOING THE REAL MG A DISSERVICE

        QUIT BEING A PEST…….SOLA NEEDS THE LONG-NOSE

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