Paul Finebaum calls new Big Ten coach a 'one-hit' wonder

The USC Trojans, along with their head coach Lincoln Riley, will begin a new journey as members of the Big Ten this upcoming season. Riley joined the team back in 2022, and so far, he has yet to bring much success to the program.

Before joining USC, Lincoln Riley started his head coaching journey with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2017. During his five-season stint, he led them to four consecutive Big 12 championships and qualified for the college football playoffs thrice. He also had two consecutive Heisman winners, quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

However, SEC insider Paul Finebaum believes that Lincoln Riley's glory days are over. He recently stated that despite being a good offensive mastermind, Riley is unable to sustain the level of success he had during his Oklahoma stint. Finebaum also labeled him as a 'one-hit wonder' because of the problems of his teams on defense.

"You start with the problem that has haunted him at Oklahoma and at Southern Cal. It's been his inability to get the right fix for defense. People think he has it now, but they also thought he had it a couple of years ago, and it didn't work out. I am quickly moving toward the opinion that he is a one-hit wonder," Finebaum said.

Last season, Lincoln Riley had a disappointing campaign with the Trojans, leading them to an 8-5 overall record.

They failed to qualify for the playoffs even with 2022 Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams in the mix, and only a Holiday Bowl added to their trophy cabinet. Now with Williams in the NFL, it will be interesting to see how the team performs in their Big Ten debut campaign.

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Paul Finebaum states he would have 'fired' Lincoln Riley for a disappointing 2023 season

Finebaum further went on to harshly criticize Riley for his lackluster tenure with the Trojans. He has failed to win a Pac-12 title with the program during his three-season stint, and after last season's performance, Finebaum believes that he would have considered searching for a replacement had he been the USC Athletic Director.

"(0:31) I thought last year was one of the worst coaching jobs I have ever seen, quite frankly. Had I been the athletic director at Southern Cal, I would have fired Lincoln Riley because he's yet to show, after many years as a head coach, he knows anything about defense. He's gone through defensive coordinators, he just simply couldn't handle it, and now things are going to be five times worse in the Big Ten," Finebaum said.

This coming season, Lincoln Riley has another chance to prove his doubters wrong. As USC begins a new journey in the Big Ten, it could be the season where he finds the same fire and success as he did during his stint with the Oklahoma Sooners.