Can USC reach a bowl game? Evaluating the rest of the Trojans’ schedule
Taking a look at USC’s final-season stretch against Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame, in which the Trojans will need to win two of three to reach certain bowl eligibility
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES – This change at quarterback, Lincoln Riley emphasized, was not about the future.
Yes, Jayden Maiava is a season of eligibility younger than Miller Moss. Yes, USC and Riley need a stable contingency plan at QB in years to come, with smoke rising around a potential flip to Colorado for top 2025 prize Julian Lewis. But the seismic shift from Moss to Maiava, Riley said last week, was a “decision with two weeks to go.”
“This is just about this week, because there’s so much to unfold,” Riley said, speaking on USC’s matchup with Nebraska Saturday. “And, I just feel like I owe it to Jonah Monheim, and all the other guys here, that’ll be playing their last few games as Trojans here coming up.”
“I mean,” he continued a few words later, “you only get so many moments with this team.”
And so USC will see what it has in Maiava, and the world will see what it has in USC, mired in a transitional season in which any tangible hopes have long since slipped away with repeated late-game heartbreak. Three games remain, and USC sits at 4-5, two wins away from NCAA-defined bowl eligibility – a status they’ve missed exactly twice in their last 25 years as a program.
A postseason win could prove a palate-cleanser, and reclaim some hope in Riley’s rebuild, similar to the Holiday Bowl phenomenon of 2023. But the road to winning two out of three is tricky, with Nebraska this upcoming Saturday and a pair of intriguing rivalry-week matchups on the horizon.
Saturday, Nov. 16: Nebraska
The Cornhuskers will bring a corn maze of mystery from Lincoln, an early-season Big Ten darling that has cratered in recent weeks. Nebraska hasn’t reached 350 yards of total offense or 25 points since September, and head coach Matt Rhule took drastic action last week, flying in former Houston head coach and longtime Air Raid discipline Dana Holgorsen in to help work with Nebraska’s offense.
On Monday, Rhule took the ambiguous addition one step further – announcing Holgorsen (with mic) had been officially hired as his program’s offensive coordinator and would serve as play-caller against USC.
“I think he just kinda gives us a fresh perspective,” Rhule told Nebraska media on Monday, “a look at kinda what we’re doing, and who we’re doing it with.”
It’s a rare mid-season development that will reunite two Mike Leach disciples, as both Riley and Holgorsen were key parts of Leach’s staff at Texas Tech in the mid-2000s. The weapons at Holgorsen’s disposal Saturday, though, may be limited; five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola exited with a back injury in Nebraska’s loss to UCLA Nov. 2, and Rhule said the Cornhuskers would prepare backups Henrich Haarberg and Danny Kaelin to play against USC.
Nov. 23: at UCLA
The two football powers of Los Angeles couldn’t have presented themselves more differently, back at their arrivals to the Big Ten in the conference’s media days in July.
Riley told a group of breakout reporters, emphatically, that USC was at the “top of any conference.”
Foster stammered through the start of his presser in Indianapolis, with the now-infamous mantra: “We’re in LA.”
And yet, four months later, USC and UCLA both sit at 4-5, and the Bruins – at 3-4 – suddenly sit higher than USC in their first year in the Big Ten. After looking utterly hopeless offensively for two months, UCLA has ground out three straight wins, riding a strong secondary and suddenly improved ground game into a trip to Washington this weekend.
A month ago, this game looked like a mismatch for USC. But UCLA is improving and the rivalry game is never a given. This one may determine which team is bowl eligible and which isn’t.
Nov. 30: Notre Dame
There’s a reason why Riley has hinted at eventually moving the historic Notre Dame rivalry off USC’s schedule.
If USC splits contests with Nebraska and UCLA, it finds itself in a brutal spot at the end of its regular season, with the 10th-ranked Fighting Irish as the potential gatekeeper to a bowl game for the Trojans. After USC has faced an ever-cycling array of Big Ten defenses that have sought to beat up USC in the trenches and limit possessions, this Notre Dame program brings an evolved version of the exact-same flavor: currently ranked fifth in the FBS in rush-yards-per-carry and second in opposing passing-yards-per-game.
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Every coach has his own special way of connecting with his players. Whatever way that is, it has to work. The players have to really feel it. JR, Pete, and Ed O, all had their special, unique way of doing this, and players respond to it — or they don’t. I worry about this lack of “connection” that LR has with his players. I don’t see enough of it, that’s for sure, and that’s mirrored by the players themselves. I don’t see him as very inspirational or “locked in” with his players, his troops. It always starts with the head man, and it’s often found during… Read more »
I remember Pat Haden, a lawyer (on paper) declining to fight the NCAA and wondering why he was so feckless. I also remember him saying it would take ten years to recover from the sanctions levied by the NCAA, I just never imagined he meant 10 years after he left. The thing that makes this “cheating” so stupid is that it didn’t improve the in field performance. The way I see it is Riley being too lazy to use the analytics himself. He needed to distill the information and present it himself. If Riley is the genius we thought he… Read more »
Maybe I’m wrong. But in the Haden years I was still in the recruiting biz and I had a lot of excellent USC sources. I was told by several people at the time that Haden actually wanted to fight the NCAA, but was prevented from doing so by the same higher-up types who called the final shots on Kiffin’s Tarmac termination. They simply didn’t have the stomach for the massive costs, possible extended poor publicity, and perceived high uncertainty of such litigation against a relentless foe with judge/jury/executioner power. Again, maybe I’m wrong. I’m just the messenger. But inside USC… Read more »
You are probably not wrong. My sources were newspaper “insider”blogs and idiots on line (myself included). In this case I am just frustrated with being inflicted by the NCAA again.
I have since toned down my emotions on Haden as an AD. It was hard not to despise his actions the way he fired Kiffin who did an unbelievable job keeping the football program competitive while the sanctions hit full force on the program. Kif deserved better, should have been praised for his results in fact. But your hints about the higher ups making the moves it did seems logical as academia is envious even callous when something like sports gets in its way and go to surprising measures to chop heads off like Kiffin’s because he was too successful.… Read more »
Academics have always been insanely jealous of the way the big sports (football especially, but also basketball) are the drivers of image and donations to any school.
Full-time academics can’t accept that most of them could not hold a job in the private sector. Hate to be an asshole, but those who can, do and those that can’t, teach. It’s the successful ones who make the big donations to the university and enjoy the fun at football and basketball games.
This is exactly what has always held STAN football back.
Whenever the football program would get too good, the STAN academia in power would take steps to reduce this effectiveness. They were always worried about being known too much for their football, which they view as beneath their academic stature and not worthy. Jim Harbaugh, now the leader of the Chargers after resurrecting MICH, knows all about that.
So do the STAN students, who usually rarely go to STAN football games unless CAL or USC is in town.
My dad (pretty connected at the university and athletic department in the 90’s and 2000’s) told me the same thing about the lack of desire to fight the BS charges imposed by the NZAA. It was the same BOD types who replaced President Sample with the feckless Maxie Nikias. Weak choice and weak resolve to stand up for the University.
USC’s Latest Dust-Up With the NCAA (apparently Jen Cohen was none too happy with Lincoln Riley here) When you are caught red-handed, there’s nothing you can do but quickly admit guilt, submit a reasonable resolution, and negotiate a penalty while immediately correcting your behavior. The violation — “Eight analysts for the football program engaging in on-and off-field coaching activities, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years.” That’s a clear case of illegal excessive recruiting by the football staff in analyst positions. How dumb could we be? Why would we even… Read more »
The NCAA’s dark cloud over USC goes all the way back to the mid-1950s. According to both stories I have read and my grandparents’ filling in any blanks, USC (along with UCLA and UW) had to vacate half of the 1956 season due to improper training table meal enhancements provided by boosters. Only playing 6 games probably cost USC halfback “Jaguar” Jon Arnett the Heisman Trophy. According to my grandmother who passed away in 1994 at the age of 98, Arnett was one of the most gifted USC running backs she ever saw. Along with fullback C.R. Roberts, the two… Read more »
Well, at least if there was some cheating we won a lot.
Riley cheats and loses.
As far as how dumb we could be……I’am starting to think the well is pretty deep with ONNR.
Riley ought to have a provision of his contract that allows USC to sanction him for breaking NCAA rules……let’s say 25 million or so.
Being on NCAA probation is serious stuff…..all it takes is a dumb issue to come up and next thing you know it’s problems.
It bares repeating that at the time of these sanctions, the NCAA was at the height of bullying institutions in flexing its muscles to anything it had the opportunity to come down on a program. And even though at the beginning it got its piece of meat it wanted on USC, the national reaction & attention it caused and the result of the McNair suit brought the NCAA down to its knees to where it no longer dared to run amok in future cases. USC paid the price for all of CFB to stand up to the dragon and now… Read more »
Good points. I thought the NCAA was kind of out of the penalty biz. Guess not.
Garrett made mistakes and his words often hurt him. But can you imagine how he felt once he learned the true severity of what the NCAA did to USC? It would be impossible for me to put myself in that bleak, resentful place.
USC on probation for: The issue stems from when special teams analyst — presumed to be Ryan Dougherty though he is unnamed in the negotiated resolution — “provided technical and tactical instruction to at least one current football student-athlete during 2023 spring practice.” A year probation for that? All the finger pointing at Riley when do we even know if Riley knew his analyst talked to a player? ncaa at it again. And I am sure this has never happened at another school before, so is that why they made it legal? What total bullshit by the nzaa. The ghost… Read more »
Throwback uniforms, harkening back to a wonderful time when we weren’t under constant sanctions and probation. You wonder whether Cohen will even be around to choose LR’s successor. The whole USC re-set of Bohn, Folt, and perhaps soon Cohen is evaporating. It is time to clean house and send John and Allen in to straighten things out!!!
What does being on “probation” mean? I understand the other terms of the punishment, but “probation” must mean something, yet I fail to understand what.
The more we see of LR, the more I am convinced that he is far too immature to handle his current position and justify his salary. What’s done is done, but he’s not measuring out any better than Lane Kiffin, who was almost universally derided as immature. Sure hoping LR gets his act together quickly and re-establishes a trajectory similar to Kiffin’s.
That would mean Lincoln Riley would have to be “Tarmacked”, right? That’ll sure never happen.
But I’m now very sure that Jen Cohen didn’t enjoy trying to keep USC off probation for the last year, and on her watch. It’s sure no badge of honor for an AD, regardless of when the bad acts occurred.
Now, more than ever, you have to wonder what Cohen really thinks of Riley. Just being logical.
Jen Cohen – “USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion”
That’s how you play the game with the NCAA. Glad to have her as the AD, better than Mike Garrett’s “they wish they were Trojans” strategy. In a month the penalty is served and USC can move on (and keep their nose clean).
I cut and pasted from your post below or above whichever, just making a point that Cohen is far better than any of the previous jocks USC has had as AD. She knows how the game is played.
Ha ha, well, if the shoe fits…But I was thinking more along the lines figuratively, like experiencing a level of failure that is humbling, then seeking out more experienced, wiser mentors, learning from them and your own mistakes, and parlaying that into success.
And Lane Kiffin is doing this with our old QB Jaxson Dart. More power to him. He’s come a long way, in some ways thanks to career resurrector Saban, who gambled on him when he was down.
Speaking of “down.” Caleb Williams is having a very rough time of it with the Bears, and some of it’s on him, not his coaches IMO. Just not very accurate. I wonder how he’ll end up doing?
USC probation, a familiar pain, like L4-L5 herniated discs shooting sciatic radiculopathy flashing into Trojan testicles. We seem to be in an endless loop of mindless mediocrity. Folt insults the Senate Faculty over Palestinian issue, blocks the valedictorian, after the bonehead Bohn hire. Folt presented the Lincoln Riley proposal to the BOT with her endorsement. Can’t anyone make a few calls to Cincinnati? Can’t anyone buy some beers in Norman and find out what LC was really running from? Can’t these people read and think critically? Oh, just kick me in the balls and get it over with!
Former Trojan player — “If you walked out onto the field in a game against us back then you had to wear your big boy pants because we were going to knock the s**t out of you. And they knew it.”
Sometimes ultimatums don’t work. Often, in fact. There is no backup QB on the scene who isn’t already committed somewhere else. LR undoubtedly knows all the background stuff. Maybe he has an incontrovertible secret blood oath from Lewis and all members of his family that he’s going to USC despite all this other smoke. At this stage, I’d say Lewis is the least of USC’s problems. I don’t even care if he comes. There are always other fish in the sea. Notre Dame now lives on Portal QBs. They seem to be doing just fine, especially against USC. Now that… Read more »
I agree. Although I’m frustrated with Riley more often than not, I sincerely believe Lewis would be in the best possible place for him with Riley and USC. Just wait and see.
You mean you don’t like seeing USC dangling like a “puppet on a string?” Frankly, sometimes that’s simply unavoidable in recruiting. Some of USC’s very best recruiters ever, and that includes Lane Kiffin, Ed O and Pete, ate a lot of uncertainty before they landed their big fish. Recruiting often takes a lot of patience, and Pete always allowed that without reservation. But Pete was a huge winner with a fantastic personality and others under him who were also great deal-closers. That’s why he often signed #1 classes at USC. Lewis is calling the shots here. Good for him. As… Read more »
In my view the Saban response is the way to go,,,,,,take all the time you need, but if you commit to USC and start looking elsewhere your slot is no longer guaranteed…..and if we fill the slot while you are looking its gone. Odds are the ones that keep looking were going to leave anyway. We should be looking for a QB right now publicly. Bring in everybody that has the slightest interest in hopes more than one will side with us. In Pete’s day once a player committed and signed the LOI he was stuck with us for several… Read more »
Allen, Nothing unusual here. I figure LR was playing Moss as long as he was when it was obvious Miller was not elite in order to keep Lewis. When Moss failed to improve, LR made the decision to risk Lewis. If Maiava succeeds, no way Lewis is coming here. If he fails, then look for Lewis to come here. Collegiate football is clearly now a business, with kids having millions on the line depending on where they go.
Why would any intelligent coach risk ruining an entire season, which has honestly already happened at USC in the eyes of the fans, to later sign an unproven prep QB who has always been interested in other schools and plays in Georgia? That’s just dumb. Kids not only want money, but they want to play for a winning, popular coach as well, and for a team that’s not on probation, if possible. Since Miller Moss actually regressed under LR, that’s not a good look either, especially if Moss transfers. Maiava had to finally be played or he was gonna split.… Read more »
I am surprised that Riley wasn’t aware of these violations. He certainly had enough time to read the rule book. Lord knows he wasn’t spending the time on the phone or on the road or visiting local premier high schools (let’s just say he has been a lazy-ass recruiter). So I assume he must have been reading the rule book?
No, I guess he must have spending all that rulebook review time designing his $200 million dream clubhouse/fort. Regardless, it’s another “F” up by Linkin the Magnificent.
I have to say that even I have wondered how we can have so many analysts on the field under Riley’s tenure. I assumed it was all copacetic because the last thing I have time to do is keep up with all the flux in administrative rules in college football. But somebody in our compliance office should have been paying attention to that and TELLING Riley what he can do and can’t do. It’s really amazing. We just can’t get it right.
It still comes down to Riley. He has been an NCAA coach long enough to understand that if he has too many people around the practice field who aren’t players, there are too many people around the program who the NZAA (thanks, SteveG) would think are coaching types. Riley has to know that there have always been limits on coaches.
Jen Cohen on the USC probation — “Since learning of potential violations related to our football program in May 2023, USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion that was approved by the Committee. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior and integrity in our athletic programs.”
For those worried about USC’s ability to keep the 2025 recruiting class together with the Trojans struggling to even make a bowl game, you have to wonder if the placement of USC on NCAA probation again further jeopardizes USC’s chances?
Georgia to receive visit from 5-star QB Julian Lewis, elite in-state prospect in Week 12 Cory Nightingale (saturdaydownsouth.com) — Georgia has a huge game this Saturday night against Tennessee that will help determine its fate for the 2024 season, and at the same time the Bulldogs will be hosting a high-profile recruit that night who could determine what happens in 2025 and beyond in Athens. A source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that QB Julian Lewis, who is ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit for the 2025 cycle, is going to unofficially visit Georgia on Saturday for the showdown against Tennessee.… Read more »
USC football has to celebrate its past. What choice do we have? Old uniforms, old ticker tape parades. Thankfully we had people like John Robinson who once coached at USC. And now this. Utterly ridiculous and disheartening. Yet another feather in LR’s bust-at-USC resume. USC Trojans On NCAA Probation Due To Coaching Violations, Lincoln Riley Not Suspended: Report Bri Amaranthus (SI.com) — The NCAA has put the USC Trojans football team on a one-year probation and face a $50,000 fine for coaching violations, according to a report from 247 Sports. USC coach Lincoln Riley will not be suspended as part of the action, despite… Read more »
Can anybody believe this…….who is the head coach. We used to call an army officer who got us all lost…..old numb nuts……
Well…..ONNR……Old Numb Nuts Riley has struck again.
On June 24, 2024, after talking about it for 2 years, the NCAA removed the limit on on field coaches, but still limit to 11 off campus recruiters. This says on and off field coaching activities. Does that mean recruiting? Hilarious if USC had too many guys out recruiting! Sounds a bit ticky tacky to me to levy a fine on something done 2 years ago that is no longer a violation now. Riley do the right thing, write the check and move on.
It would just be nice if Lincoln Riley followed the rules in place instead of breaking them. No excuse for this BS. Who cares about the 50K fine? Nobody.
What’s bad is that USC is once again on NCAA probation for a year, this time under Riley’s disappointing watch.
To use an overly used phrase that I usually avoid at all costs, “You can’t make this stuff up!”
Lincoln Riley, before the disaster flop at Maryland
Or, if you break the rules you better win!
What does the restriction on the analysts involved mean?
A restriction for the special teams analyst from practice and film review for six consecutive days during two weeks of the 2024-25 season.A restriction for the remaining analysts from practice and film review for six consecutive days during four weeks of the 2024-25 season.
They can’t work with players for more than 1 day a week for the next 2-4 weeks?
I don’t know maybe fewer voices in their heads would help? Probably just less help to get done what they would like to get done. More chance to screw up the last 3 games.
Ah, the special teams blind spot is another characteristic of Linkin’ the Magnificent. For a while, old smarty-pants thought a special-teams coach was a waste of a coach he wanted somewhere else. Now we find out that he kind of added one on the down-low to get the program in trouble with The Man once again. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
USC Trojans Throwback Uniforms Unveiled For Nebraska Cornhuskers Game USC is wearing new 1972 national championship uniforms for our homecoming game against NEB.
Wherever this football program really is presently, there are some major changes coming about that will affect its immediate future. The big one is who will replace Carol Folt as president and that person’s agenda how it will deal with USC sports, specifically the football program. The BOD could easily bring in another Max Nikias and you know what that would mean. If you have noticed the National University academic rankings these past few years, you will see USC has fallen down in those listings. That may be a flag in the Board’s eyes. And if the new president is… Read more »
Comrade…..why question the latest five year plan……they are still trying to figure out whether to glorify Mao or Lenin. Once the central committee makes this critical decision we can all join hands and march together shoulder to shoulder knowing that our glorious future is ensured.
Although I’am sure there will be trouble makers who insist that Stalin should also be considered for glorification…..there are a few in every crowd.
It has been 53 years since John Wayne’s Playboy interview in which he expressed his unpopular opinion on racial relations. He was great American, though flawed, as we all are, and a magnificent actor, particularly in “The Searchers” and in his final film’ “The Shootist” both classics of Western Genre. Wayne was dying of lung cancer during the production of the ”The Shootist” , yet with characteristic grit, he completed it.
“If USC splits contests with Nebraska and UCLA,”One sentence to limit Riley’s tenure and the worst case is the change of one word. Change the word “if” to “when” and Riley should be sent packing. The Cornpoppers are beatable and the bRuins are very beatable, IF Riley can out coach them. The fourth quarter wouldn’t be an issue IF the team was prepared for it. IF the clock was managed better and IF the coach would get over his addiction to passing while the running game is working the Trojans will be facing one overhyped team at the end of… Read more »
ND is our bowl game! We’re playing spoilers this year and a win against the Irish to keep them out of the playoff will soften the blow of this season. ✌️
ND is so overrated. They play an ACC and Group of 5 schedule and got beat by the 7th place team in the Mid American Conference. Hoping Virginia, Army and/or SC beat them outta the playoffs.
So, Riley wants to eliminate ND from our schedule. Just who does he think he is? Reality is that he is a mediocre HC with a terrible record – even Hellton had a better record. So, now, so he can justify his $10mm salary, he wants to make the schedule easier. Huh? LR is not a Trojan and never will be. He needs to be replaced and a real HC hired….
ND should never come off USC’s schedule. The fact that Riley has even considered this shows how much he is out of touch with the USC alumni and fan base.
The rumor has always been that Riley was ready to leave OU when they announced that they would be moving from the no-defense Big 12 to the much tougher SEC. How pleased was LR when SC announced the move from the no-defense, passing league PAC to the big boy conference of the B1G? My guess is that he wasn’t happy at all.
Of course there outta touch with the fan base, because you don’t show a desire to win that includes the booster. All they wanna to do is be show off pompous entitled USC like someone should just hand us a National Championship because we are SC 😂😂. Winning is a culture of discipline and mental toughness. And that is what USC has needed for an HC . LR is not a leader of men he is a complacent offensive guru. SC does not need that. We get the best QB’s and WR in the nation every year automatically. You need… Read more »
I made a post above where I mentioned the poisoning of the BOD by Folt with a bunch of wokesters. We should not be looked at like Berkeley or Stanford south. I believe this attitude change has had an effect of alumni giving. I know my Dad has said he is never giving another dime to the general university because of the woke factor. And he has probably given $2 million or more to SC and the Dental School. So yeah, Steve, I think the school is out of touch with the Alumni and fan base. Remember who cancelled all… Read more »
On Monday, 
Hayden……see yah.
Most Recent USC Bowl Projections (Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)
* CBS Sports
LA Bowl – Dec. 18 in Los Angeles vs UNLV
* Action Network
Sun Bowl – Dec. 31 in El Paso vs GT
* Sporting News
Alamo Bowl – Dec. 28 in San Antonio, Texas vs KSU
* ESPN
No Bowl Game
* Sports Illustrated
No Bowl Game
* USA Today
No Bowl Game
on3.com
Every coach has his own special way of connecting with his players. Whatever way that is, it has to work. The players have to really feel it. JR, Pete, and Ed O, all had their special, unique way of doing this, and players respond to it — or they don’t. I worry about this lack of “connection” that LR has with his players. I don’t see enough of it, that’s for sure, and that’s mirrored by the players themselves. I don’t see him as very inspirational or “locked in” with his players, his troops. It always starts with the head man, and it’s often found during… Read more »
I remember Pat Haden, a lawyer (on paper) declining to fight the NCAA and wondering why he was so feckless. I also remember him saying it would take ten years to recover from the sanctions levied by the NCAA, I just never imagined he meant 10 years after he left. The thing that makes this “cheating” so stupid is that it didn’t improve the in field performance. The way I see it is Riley being too lazy to use the analytics himself. He needed to distill the information and present it himself. If Riley is the genius we thought he… Read more »
Maybe I’m wrong. But in the Haden years I was still in the recruiting biz and I had a lot of excellent USC sources. I was told by several people at the time that Haden actually wanted to fight the NCAA, but was prevented from doing so by the same higher-up types who called the final shots on Kiffin’s Tarmac termination. They simply didn’t have the stomach for the massive costs, possible extended poor publicity, and perceived high uncertainty of such litigation against a relentless foe with judge/jury/executioner power. Again, maybe I’m wrong. I’m just the messenger. But inside USC… Read more »
You are probably not wrong. My sources were newspaper “insider”blogs and idiots on line (myself included). In this case I am just frustrated with being inflicted by the NCAA again.
I have since toned down my emotions on Haden as an AD. It was hard not to despise his actions the way he fired Kiffin who did an unbelievable job keeping the football program competitive while the sanctions hit full force on the program. Kif deserved better, should have been praised for his results in fact. But your hints about the higher ups making the moves it did seems logical as academia is envious even callous when something like sports gets in its way and go to surprising measures to chop heads off like Kiffin’s because he was too successful.… Read more »
Academics have always been insanely jealous of the way the big sports (football especially, but also basketball) are the drivers of image and donations to any school.
Full-time academics can’t accept that most of them could not hold a job in the private sector. Hate to be an asshole, but those who can, do and those that can’t, teach. It’s the successful ones who make the big donations to the university and enjoy the fun at football and basketball games.
This is exactly what has always held STAN football back.
Whenever the football program would get too good, the STAN academia in power would take steps to reduce this effectiveness. They were always worried about being known too much for their football, which they view as beneath their academic stature and not worthy. Jim Harbaugh, now the leader of the Chargers after resurrecting MICH, knows all about that.
So do the STAN students, who usually rarely go to STAN football games unless CAL or USC is in town.
My dad (pretty connected at the university and athletic department in the 90’s and 2000’s) told me the same thing about the lack of desire to fight the BS charges imposed by the NZAA. It was the same BOD types who replaced President Sample with the feckless Maxie Nikias. Weak choice and weak resolve to stand up for the University.
USC’s Latest Dust-Up With the NCAA (apparently Jen Cohen was none too happy with Lincoln Riley here) When you are caught red-handed, there’s nothing you can do but quickly admit guilt, submit a reasonable resolution, and negotiate a penalty while immediately correcting your behavior. The violation — “Eight analysts for the football program engaging in on-and off-field coaching activities, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years.” That’s a clear case of illegal excessive recruiting by the football staff in analyst positions. How dumb could we be? Why would we even… Read more »
The NCAA’s dark cloud over USC goes all the way back to the mid-1950s. According to both stories I have read and my grandparents’ filling in any blanks, USC (along with UCLA and UW) had to vacate half of the 1956 season due to improper training table meal enhancements provided by boosters. Only playing 6 games probably cost USC halfback “Jaguar” Jon Arnett the Heisman Trophy. According to my grandmother who passed away in 1994 at the age of 98, Arnett was one of the most gifted USC running backs she ever saw. Along with fullback C.R. Roberts, the two… Read more »
Well, at least if there was some cheating we won a lot.
Riley cheats and loses.
As far as how dumb we could be……I’am starting to think the well is pretty deep with ONNR.
Riley ought to have a provision of his contract that allows USC to sanction him for breaking NCAA rules……let’s say 25 million or so.
Being on NCAA probation is serious stuff…..all it takes is a dumb issue to come up and next thing you know it’s problems.
The fat tub of goo Paul Dee rises again to haunt us.
It bares repeating that at the time of these sanctions, the NCAA was at the height of bullying institutions in flexing its muscles to anything it had the opportunity to come down on a program. And even though at the beginning it got its piece of meat it wanted on USC, the national reaction & attention it caused and the result of the McNair suit brought the NCAA down to its knees to where it no longer dared to run amok in future cases. USC paid the price for all of CFB to stand up to the dragon and now… Read more »
Good points. I thought the NCAA was kind of out of the penalty biz. Guess not.
Garrett made mistakes and his words often hurt him. But can you imagine how he felt once he learned the true severity of what the NCAA did to USC? It would be impossible for me to put myself in that bleak, resentful place.
USC on probation for: The issue stems from when special teams analyst — presumed to be Ryan Dougherty though he is unnamed in the negotiated resolution — “provided technical and tactical instruction to at least one current football student-athlete during 2023 spring practice.” A year probation for that? All the finger pointing at Riley when do we even know if Riley knew his analyst talked to a player? ncaa at it again. And I am sure this has never happened at another school before, so is that why they made it legal? What total bullshit by the nzaa. The ghost… Read more »
Throwback uniforms, harkening back to a wonderful time when we weren’t under constant sanctions and probation. You wonder whether Cohen will even be around to choose LR’s successor. The whole USC re-set of Bohn, Folt, and perhaps soon Cohen is evaporating. It is time to clean house and send John and Allen in to straighten things out!!!
What does being on “probation” mean? I understand the other terms of the punishment, but “probation” must mean something, yet I fail to understand what.
The more we see of LR, the more I am convinced that he is far too immature to handle his current position and justify his salary. What’s done is done, but he’s not measuring out any better than Lane Kiffin, who was almost universally derided as immature. Sure hoping LR gets his act together quickly and re-establishes a trajectory similar to Kiffin’s.
That would mean Lincoln Riley would have to be “Tarmacked”, right? That’ll sure never happen.
But I’m now very sure that Jen Cohen didn’t enjoy trying to keep USC off probation for the last year, and on her watch. It’s sure no badge of honor for an AD, regardless of when the bad acts occurred.
Now, more than ever, you have to wonder what Cohen really thinks of Riley. Just being logical.
Jen Cohen – “USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion”
That’s how you play the game with the NCAA. Glad to have her as the AD, better than Mike Garrett’s “they wish they were Trojans” strategy. In a month the penalty is served and USC can move on (and keep their nose clean).
Ya, I know. I already published her entire statement below for those who wish to read it.
I cut and pasted from your post below or above whichever, just making a point that Cohen is far better than any of the previous jocks USC has had as AD. She knows how the game is played.
Ha ha, well, if the shoe fits…But I was thinking more along the lines figuratively, like experiencing a level of failure that is humbling, then seeking out more experienced, wiser mentors, learning from them and your own mistakes, and parlaying that into success.
And Lane Kiffin is doing this with our old QB Jaxson Dart. More power to him. He’s come a long way, in some ways thanks to career resurrector Saban, who gambled on him when he was down.
Speaking of “down.” Caleb Williams is having a very rough time of it with the Bears, and some of it’s on him, not his coaches IMO. Just not very accurate. I wonder how he’ll end up doing?
USC probation, a familiar pain, like L4-L5 herniated discs shooting sciatic radiculopathy flashing into Trojan testicles. We seem to be in an endless loop of mindless mediocrity. Folt insults the Senate Faculty over Palestinian issue, blocks the valedictorian, after the bonehead Bohn hire. Folt presented the Lincoln Riley proposal to the BOT with her endorsement. Can’t anyone make a few calls to Cincinnati? Can’t anyone buy some beers in Norman and find out what LC was really running from? Can’t these people read and think critically? Oh, just kick me in the balls and get it over with!
Very creative — “like the L4-L5 herniated discs shooting sciatic radiculopathy flashing into Trojan testicles.”
Probation sucks. I literally can’t believe we’re on it again, this time because of LR.
Nice description, Doctor DP. 🤣
Former Trojan player — “If you walked out onto the field in a game against us back then you had to wear your big boy pants because we were going to knock the s**t out of you. And they knew it.”
247Sports Crystal Ball prediction on Georgia QB/USC “commit” Julian Lewis: Colorado 100%
If we had only another 2 days to recruit him it would all have been different……Riley at his next presser.
Day Late and a Dolly Short The title of Linkin’ Riley’s biography.
Sorry. i meant to say dollah instead of dolly…. Never type when you are pissed off.
I know it’s an unorthodox move, but should Riley just give Lewis an ultimatum? He’s flaunting his interest in other schools so what’s the drawback ?
Sometimes ultimatums don’t work. Often, in fact. There is no backup QB on the scene who isn’t already committed somewhere else. LR undoubtedly knows all the background stuff. Maybe he has an incontrovertible secret blood oath from Lewis and all members of his family that he’s going to USC despite all this other smoke. At this stage, I’d say Lewis is the least of USC’s problems. I don’t even care if he comes. There are always other fish in the sea. Notre Dame now lives on Portal QBs. They seem to be doing just fine, especially against USC. Now that… Read more »
I agree. Although I’m frustrated with Riley more often than not, I sincerely believe Lewis would be in the best possible place for him with Riley and USC. Just wait and see.
Just let him know that at this point…..if for some reason he wants to come to USC…..the decision of whether to take him will be made at that time.
You mean you don’t like seeing USC dangling like a “puppet on a string?” Frankly, sometimes that’s simply unavoidable in recruiting. Some of USC’s very best recruiters ever, and that includes Lane Kiffin, Ed O and Pete, ate a lot of uncertainty before they landed their big fish. Recruiting often takes a lot of patience, and Pete always allowed that without reservation. But Pete was a huge winner with a fantastic personality and others under him who were also great deal-closers. That’s why he often signed #1 classes at USC. Lewis is calling the shots here. Good for him. As… Read more »
In my view the Saban response is the way to go,,,,,,take all the time you need, but if you commit to USC and start looking elsewhere your slot is no longer guaranteed…..and if we fill the slot while you are looking its gone. Odds are the ones that keep looking were going to leave anyway. We should be looking for a QB right now publicly. Bring in everybody that has the slightest interest in hopes more than one will side with us. In Pete’s day once a player committed and signed the LOI he was stuck with us for several… Read more »
Saban could do a lot of things Riley can’t. Too many to mention.
I don’t think lazy Linkin’ has a plan B, unless it’s to make a desperation move in his favorite thing–the transfer portal.
Georgia has Ryan Montgomery QB, 4*, 6-3, 215 lbs, maybe Riley can make a swap.
Can he scramble? Because we know that we will have spotty O-line play as long as Linkin’ is our HC.
Allen, Nothing unusual here. I figure LR was playing Moss as long as he was when it was obvious Miller was not elite in order to keep Lewis. When Moss failed to improve, LR made the decision to risk Lewis. If Maiava succeeds, no way Lewis is coming here. If he fails, then look for Lewis to come here. Collegiate football is clearly now a business, with kids having millions on the line depending on where they go.
Why would any intelligent coach risk ruining an entire season, which has honestly already happened at USC in the eyes of the fans, to later sign an unproven prep QB who has always been interested in other schools and plays in Georgia? That’s just dumb. Kids not only want money, but they want to play for a winning, popular coach as well, and for a team that’s not on probation, if possible. Since Miller Moss actually regressed under LR, that’s not a good look either, especially if Moss transfers. Maiava had to finally be played or he was gonna split.… Read more »
I am surprised that Riley wasn’t aware of these violations. He certainly had enough time to read the rule book. Lord knows he wasn’t spending the time on the phone or on the road or visiting local premier high schools (let’s just say he has been a lazy-ass recruiter). So I assume he must have been reading the rule book?
No, I guess he must have spending all that rulebook review time designing his $200 million dream clubhouse/fort. Regardless, it’s another “F” up by Linkin the Magnificent.
I have to say that even I have wondered how we can have so many analysts on the field under Riley’s tenure. I assumed it was all copacetic because the last thing I have time to do is keep up with all the flux in administrative rules in college football. But somebody in our compliance office should have been paying attention to that and TELLING Riley what he can do and can’t do. It’s really amazing. We just can’t get it right.
It still comes down to Riley. He has been an NCAA coach long enough to understand that if he has too many people around the practice field who aren’t players, there are too many people around the program who the NZAA (thanks, SteveG) would think are coaching types. Riley has to know that there have always been limits on coaches.
Jen Cohen on the USC probation — “Since learning of potential violations related to our football program in May 2023, USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion that was approved by the Committee. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior and integrity in our athletic programs.”
For those worried about USC’s ability to keep the 2025 recruiting class together with the Trojans struggling to even make a bowl game, you have to wonder if the placement of USC on NCAA probation again further jeopardizes USC’s chances?
Georgia to receive visit from 5-star QB Julian Lewis, elite in-state prospect in Week 12 Cory Nightingale (saturdaydownsouth.com) — Georgia has a huge game this Saturday night against Tennessee that will help determine its fate for the 2024 season, and at the same time the Bulldogs will be hosting a high-profile recruit that night who could determine what happens in 2025 and beyond in Athens. A source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that QB Julian Lewis, who is ESPN’s No. 2 overall recruit for the 2025 cycle, is going to unofficially visit Georgia on Saturday for the showdown against Tennessee.… Read more »
USC football has to celebrate its past. What choice do we have? Old uniforms, old ticker tape parades. Thankfully we had people like John Robinson who once coached at USC. And now this. Utterly ridiculous and disheartening. Yet another feather in LR’s bust-at-USC resume. USC Trojans On NCAA Probation Due To Coaching Violations, Lincoln Riley Not Suspended: Report Bri Amaranthus (SI.com) — The NCAA has put the USC Trojans football team on a one-year probation and face a $50,000 fine for coaching violations, according to a report from 247 Sports. USC coach Lincoln Riley will not be suspended as part of the action, despite… Read more »
Can anybody believe this…….who is the head coach. We used to call an army officer who got us all lost…..old numb nuts……
Well…..ONNR……Old Numb Nuts Riley has struck again.
On June 24, 2024, after talking about it for 2 years, the NCAA removed the limit on on field coaches, but still limit to 11 off campus recruiters. This says on and off field coaching activities. Does that mean recruiting? Hilarious if USC had too many guys out recruiting! Sounds a bit ticky tacky to me to levy a fine on something done 2 years ago that is no longer a violation now. Riley do the right thing, write the check and move on.
It would just be nice if Lincoln Riley followed the rules in place instead of breaking them. No excuse for this BS. Who cares about the 50K fine? Nobody.
What’s bad is that USC is once again on NCAA probation for a year, this time under Riley’s disappointing watch.
To use an overly used phrase that I usually avoid at all costs, “You can’t make this stuff up!”
Lincoln Riley, before the disaster flop at Maryland
Or, if you break the rules you better win!
What does the restriction on the analysts involved mean?
A restriction for the special teams analyst from practice and film review for six consecutive days during two weeks of the 2024-25 season.A restriction for the remaining analysts from practice and film review for six consecutive days during four weeks of the 2024-25 season.
They can’t work with players for more than 1 day a week for the next 2-4 weeks?
I don’t know, nor do I care. Look it up if you do.
Could be even less game prep the rest of the way. Hopefully, fewer cooks may help.
Really? USC should actually prepare even less before games in a bizarre effort to win more. I’ve never heard that one before. 😂 😂
I don’t know maybe fewer voices in their heads would help? Probably just less help to get done what they would like to get done. More chance to screw up the last 3 games.
Ah, the special teams blind spot is another characteristic of Linkin’ the Magnificent. For a while, old smarty-pants thought a special-teams coach was a waste of a coach he wanted somewhere else. Now we find out that he kind of added one on the down-low to get the program in trouble with The Man once again. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Looks like we are on probation again. C’mon.
USC Trojans Throwback Uniforms Unveiled For Nebraska Cornhuskers Game
USC is wearing new 1972 national championship uniforms for our homecoming game against NEB.
Finishing strong and winning is a projection of next season and recruiting. Therefore starting Jayden over Moss is not a good decision at all!!!
Wherever this football program really is presently, there are some major changes coming about that will affect its immediate future. The big one is who will replace Carol Folt as president and that person’s agenda how it will deal with USC sports, specifically the football program. The BOD could easily bring in another Max Nikias and you know what that would mean. If you have noticed the National University academic rankings these past few years, you will see USC has fallen down in those listings. That may be a flag in the Board’s eyes. And if the new president is… Read more »
Folt poisoned the BOD with a bunch of wokesters–they will probably pick another Maoist.
Comrade…..why question the latest five year plan……they are still trying to figure out whether to glorify Mao or Lenin. Once the central committee makes this critical decision we can all join hands and march together shoulder to shoulder knowing that our glorious future is ensured.
Although I’am sure there will be trouble makers who insist that Stalin should also be considered for glorification…..there are a few in every crowd.
It has been 53 years since John Wayne’s Playboy interview in which he expressed his unpopular opinion on racial relations. He was great American, though flawed, as we all are, and a magnificent actor, particularly in “The Searchers” and in his final film’ “The Shootist” both classics of Western Genre. Wayne was dying of lung cancer during the production of the ”The Shootist” , yet with characteristic grit, he completed it.
“If USC splits contests with Nebraska and UCLA,”One sentence to limit Riley’s tenure and the worst case is the change of one word. Change the word “if” to “when” and Riley should be sent packing. The Cornpoppers are beatable and the bRuins are very beatable, IF Riley can out coach them. The fourth quarter wouldn’t be an issue IF the team was prepared for it. IF the clock was managed better and IF the coach would get over his addiction to passing while the running game is working the Trojans will be facing one overhyped team at the end of… Read more »
ND is our bowl game! We’re playing spoilers this year and a win against the Irish to keep them out of the playoff will soften the blow of this season. ✌️
ND is so overrated. They play an ACC and Group of 5 schedule and got beat by the 7th place team in the Mid American Conference. Hoping Virginia, Army and/or SC beat them outta the playoffs.
Me too GT. ND has a schedule like Miami’s. Soffft.
So, Riley wants to eliminate ND from our schedule. Just who does he think he is? Reality is that he is a mediocre HC with a terrible record – even Hellton had a better record. So, now, so he can justify his $10mm salary, he wants to make the schedule easier. Huh? LR is not a Trojan and never will be. He needs to be replaced and a real HC hired….
ND should never come off USC’s schedule. The fact that Riley has even considered this shows how much he is out of touch with the USC alumni and fan base.
The rumor has always been that Riley was ready to leave OU when they announced that they would be moving from the no-defense Big 12 to the much tougher SEC. How pleased was LR when SC announced the move from the no-defense, passing league PAC to the big boy conference of the B1G? My guess is that he wasn’t happy at all.
Prove me wrong.
I think USC, not just Riley, is out of touch with the fan base.
Of course there outta touch with the fan base, because you don’t show a desire to win that includes the booster. All they wanna to do is be show off pompous entitled USC like someone should just hand us a National Championship because we are SC 😂😂. Winning is a culture of discipline and mental toughness. And that is what USC has needed for an HC . LR is not a leader of men he is a complacent offensive guru. SC does not need that. We get the best QB’s and WR in the nation every year automatically. You need… Read more »
I made a post above where I mentioned the poisoning of the BOD by Folt with a bunch of wokesters. We should not be looked at like Berkeley or Stanford south. I believe this attitude change has had an effect of alumni giving. I know my Dad has said he is never giving another dime to the general university because of the woke factor. And he has probably given $2 million or more to SC and the Dental School. So yeah, Steve, I think the school is out of touch with the Alumni and fan base. Remember who cancelled all… Read more »