College football is all about the act of balance! While one saves himself from drowning, the other has to look for a life jacket. That’s exactly what the case is going to be for Lincoln Riley and Sherrone Moore. The USC Trojans and Michigan Wolverines are all geared up for their big day, September 21. As we all know, things are already bad for the Trojans HC Riley who now walks on thin ice and might be robbed of the head coaching role after this season.

However, he had made good use of the pressure raising a warning for the Wolverines’ new coach Moore. The prep is already on: Michigan makes a QB change while Riley cooks up a different scheme for a defensive turnaround. 

Ever since Riley had boarded the Trojans wagon, he had been thrown under the bus. While his talents ran low when it came to impactful recruiting, that’s not the sole reason that plagued his reputation as the HC. He is often associated with a problematic defense that has followed Riley since his days at Oklahoma. And this mess has left him in choppy waters with the Trojans as well. As On3 podcast host J.D.PicKell pointed out, “Will Lincoln Riley will he even be there after the season?” that was a question for a lot of folks because of what they didn’t believe about the USC defense.” 

However, this pressure has been a blessing for Riley since it unleashed his best potential. The analyst confirmed, “Well now beat LSU little bit of momentum.” With this, it would be a fool’s task to take Riley and crew lightly. Beating the Tigers 20-27 on September 1 gives enough signals that USC is all set to be back on track giving Wolverines a hard time. 

Pickell then raised an alarm, “This going into the year as difficult of an obstacle…if they’re able to come out on the other side …put a good product together defensively think about what that could mean for them.” Now to focus on the other side of the coin, expectations are already looming high for Moore who has big shoes to fill. Jim Harbaugh had established a “tough blue-collar line of scrimmage kind of operation” which will go to waste in case the debut HC fails. Meanwhile, changes are going in full swing in both camps. 

Lincoln Riley’s tactical plan vs. Sheronne Moore’s last-minute QB switch

Riley is running out of opportunities to fix errors. After he got the much-needed boost crushing down Brian Kelly’s program, the time has come for some revamping. The Trojans have adjusted their strength and weight training program all throughout the off-season. And what’s Riley’s plan for their upcoming game? Since this new defense relies more on brute strength, in case someone soaks up a double team, his teammates will be there to finish the tackle on time.

On the other hand, Moore decided to make some last-minute switches in his QB position. Even though Davis Warren was all ready to hit the gridiron, QB Alex Orji is to start in his place. The reason behind the swap is Warren’s ineffectiveness throwing only 444 yards which would make it difficult to save the Michigan fortress in front of the USC storm.

Even though Lincoln Riley will leave no stone unturned to pull down Sherrone Moore, there seems to be an interesting connection between the two. Both of them now bear the responsibility to drive “blue blood, iconic programs.” With this, it’s a showdown between two coaches who’ve been through career potholes and speed bumps alike. Let’s discover whose side the luck gods smile on September 21.