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Lincoln Riley made a splash in his first Big Ten media day event, previewing the coming season for his USC Trojans. At one point, he was asked about future scheduling with the program shifting into a new league.
He replied by saying that he wants a schedule that will get him to the playoff, suggesting that playing a difficult slate won’t be top priority.
In his explanation, he referenced Nick Saban, who won six national titles at Alabama.
“Bama was ahead of the curve for years,” he said. “They would occasionally hit the marquee non-conference game… They didn’t schedule for their fans. They scheduled to win championships.”
That response both landed criticism and made him look foolish.
A narrative of running from competition has surrounded Lincoln Riley ever since taking the USC job. Many believe he initially left Oklahoma before picking the Trojans over an open LSU gig in order to avoid the SEC.
Those rumors re-emerged this offseason when it was made known that he’d tried unsuccessfully to remove the Tigers from his 2024 schedule.
This latest commentary on strength of opponents did little to quiet the noise.
The validity of the statement was also called into question. That Alabama reference led media members to do some digging as he insinuated that the Crimson Tide were quick to avoid competition in order to sustain success.
A quick Google search shows that during eight College Football Playoff seasons, Saban’s out of conference slate included Power Five programs West Virginia, Wisconsin, FSU, Louisville, Miami, Texas, and USC. That coming on top of a daunting SEC West schedule.
Saban’s bunch destroyed the Trojans in that head-to-head matchup, which provided an unforgettable image in a 52-6 shellacking.
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Saban did it while playing the best!
Lincoln Riley, meanwhile, wants to run.
He was asked about some comments made by Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione earlier this year with the Sooners making the move into the SEC.
“I will tell you, without reservation, every coach that we talked to was excited,” Castiglione said when asked about the transition. “And you know what, the ones that weren’t aren’t here anymore.”
The head coach responded with no response at all at Big Ten media days.
“I’m not getting into that. Next question.” -Lincoln Riley
He then revealed that removing a traditional power from future non-conference slates is on the table.
Lincoln Riley says he would love to keep the Notre Dame game alive but he says if eliminating the game would help USC win a national title, they would look at it.
-Connor Morrissette / X: @C_Morrissette
He keeps making it worse!
USC will undoubtedly see a bump in competition with its move into the Big Ten where it will face the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State to go along with fellow newcomers Oregon and Washington.
That said, the perception of his running from the fight isn’t going away.