Lincoln Riley admitted that the perception of USC is not quite reality ahead of its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Trojans don’t have nearly as much money as you would think!
He said that the university is still playing catch-up in regard to facilities, resources and NIL.
Riley is set to begin his third season at USC when training camp gets underway next month. Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 en route to an 11-3 season and a New Year’s Six bowl bid. Last year did not go as well. The Trojans finished 8-5.
There were a lot of things to blame for fall from grace on both sides of the ball, including the coaching staff. Regardless of what or who is at fault, USC’s rebuild has not gone according to plan.
To make matters worse, the Big Ten proves a much bigger challenge than the defunct Pac-12. Riley is not expected or picked to win his league for the first time in his head coaching career. The Trojans are not considered legitimate national title contenders this fall.
That won’t fly in Los Angeles. Greatness is the expectation, especially after the early 2000s.
Lincoln Riley made excuses.
Riley said at Big Ten Media Days that “there’s a bigger picture to what we’re building here.” He said that USC is “coming quickly” after consecutive years of being let down.
“The roster continues to get better and better. NIL continues to get better and better. Our staff continues to get better and better. New facilities coming. Like, it can’t ever get here soon enough, but the momentum is undeniable; the progress is undeniable from what we took over two years ago.”
— Lincoln Riley
Name, Image and Likeness plays a major role in the modern era of recruiting. Wealthier teams have a higher chance of success.
According to Lincoln Riley, USC still does not have the money it needs.
“We took over something two years ago where there was no NIL. People have got to understand that our starting point was zero, was nothing. To have to rebuild that, to have to get that started has been a big undertaking. But I would venture to guess that we’ve had just as much growth in NIL over the past 12 months or more than maybe any program in college football.”
— Lincoln Riley
He admitted that it has been a struggle.
“We are playing catch up. We’re playing catch up in facilities. We’re playing catch up in NIL. We’re playing catch up in resources within the program. We’ve been playing catch up in damn near every way you can think.”
— Lincoln Riley
The Trojans have a difficult schedule in 2024.
- vs. LSU
- vs. Utah State
- at Michigan
- vs. Wisconsin
- at Minnesota
- vs. Penn State
- at Maryland
- vs. Ruters
- at Washington
- vs. Nebraska
- at UCLA
- vs. Notre Dame
A College Football Playoff bid does not seem likely and Lincoln Riley’s seat will start to heat up with every loss. He is unlikely to get fired this season, or even next, but the “catch-up” excuse won’t work forever.