Lincoln Riley squanders USC advantage over Oregon, is in big trouble

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A week ago, it seemed that USC football had the upper hand against Oregon. After Saturday's awful showing at Rutgers, it's hard to give the Trojans any kind of advantage over the Ducks. Lincoln Riley squandered his first four seasons at USC. He is on the verge of wasting a fifth season, which might be his last in Los Angeles.

No defense, again

Different coordinator, same bad defense. At some point, it goes to the top of the food chain. Lincoln Riley fields soft defenses. It was true at Oklahoma, it's still true at USC in Year 5. Let's be honest with ourselves.

No depth

This is where (and why) the inability of the backups to play well in previous weeks really matters for USC. No Jahkeem Stewart. Jide Abasiri got hurt. It all went south against Rutgers. There aren't enough depth pieces to rotate into the game and keep players fresh. Player development is still not there.

Culture

Lincoln Riley just isn't creating toughness or accountability. It's been the case for four-plus seasons. How much longer can USC put up with this clown show?

Can't ask freshmen to do it all

Where are the veterans? No one is stepping up with the sole exception of Prophet Brown, whose 99-yard pick-six saved the Trojans on Saturday. USC simply isn't getting the well-rounded contributions good teams have.

Shootout city

Lincoln Riley might have another team which has to win 49-42. That is unsustainable.

If Rutgers can do this …

What will Oregon do? How about Ohio State and Indiana?

Big Ten road game

Name the last time Lincoln Riley went on the road in the Big Ten and had his team prepared to play 60 quality minutes. You can't.

Moment of truth

Oregon next week is a no-excuses game. The Ducks aren't playing well. They have more flaws than in 2023 or 2025, the last times they played the Trojans. If Lincoln Riley can't get it done next week, he should be on the hot seat. It's unlikely this team will win at Penn State and at Indiana. It sure won't beat Ohio State unless the defense gets a wake-up call no one is expecting.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley squanders USC advantage over Oregon, is in big trouble

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