The 2024 regular season can easily be labeled as the coaches’ nightmare. Be it Kalen DeBoer or Ryan Day, fans extensively voiced their frustration after each wasted game. Now, it’s Lincoln Riley on the hot seat. The present USC coach had quite a stat to brag about when he shifted from Oklahoma. But everything took a pear shape when his 55-10 at Oklahoma turned into a 25-14 at USC. The program has been downgraded from 11-3 to 8-5 to now 6-6. It can never be a good sign, and the Trojans have every reason to move on from Riley and bring back their higher potential next season onwards.

Paul Finebaum added fuel to this idea with his raw stance. ”Would someone in California explain to me why Lincoln Riley, as of almost noon Eastern time, is still the head coach at Southern Cal? What has he done? He had the season with Caleb Williams last year. I thought that was a disaster, but then again, I forgot about this season, and considering their record is 500, that includes a win over LSU in the opening game, I mean, I don’t know when I’ve seen a coach underperform. He has completely outlived his usefulness at Southern Cal. He shouldn’t be there any longer,” Finebaum said, dishing out his usual savagery on the present USC coach.

He is not wrong either way, but Riley had some significant early success in Carolina. Lincoln Riley had a decent season in 2022, grabbing 11 wins under his belt. Under his stewardship, Caleb Williams clinched the Heisman Trophy. The Trojans made it to the Pac-12 Championship Game. They were very close to the College Football Playoff. Everything was pretty cool in Los Angeles. But given how he mounted the 2024 season, there can be only one reason for USC to hold on to him, and that is a giant buyout amount ($90 million), but that doesn’t mean he should get away with delivering a lackluster season like this.

”Remember when he mosied out there a couple of years ago, and was going to make that place sizzling in a tiny town, but I mean, I don’t get it. I know I get accused of calling for coaches’ firings all the time. I don’t, but in this case, I think it’s legitimate because USC is one of the golden names in college football, and now, it’s become a laughing stock,” Finebaum added. Looks like the ESPN analyst didn’t hold back after the Trojans had a whimpering 49-35 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame.

Riley is also a failure to recruit big names. The high-octane program feels kind of identityless at present, not knowing where they stand. USC’s 2023 recruiting class grabbed a seventh spot in the country, whereas it’s 2024, and boom, it came down to 20th with no true blue-chip prospect. Can USC get some help from Ohio State and Ryan Day in their Lincoln Riley struggles? Let’s take a logical jump.

Can Ohio State save South Carolina from the heavy cost of Lincoln Riley?

Ryan Day’s job security is highly tottering after he gave it away to the Wolverines for a straight four years. Even if the NIL complications and the buyout money made him stick with Ohio State for another year, he needed to take some immediate steps to even the detrimental status quo. He is most likely to fire Chip Kelly after the season, unless and until they move to a very serious playoff run, which seems a no-brainer at this point.

Now it begs the question: if not Kelly, then who? The alternative offensive coordinator choice necessarily involves a man who has a knack for throwing the pigskin more whenever he sees chances at wide receiver. This is what Ohio State needs to click in their rusty games. No one can argue that Riley has that feature on him. So, he can excel well in the position. Even if Ryan Day doesn’t remain head coach, the new one can reach out to Riley’s agent with an offer.

But to be realistic, Riley might not want to leave Carolina because of the heavy money deal. And his growing discomfort with his own program is pretty visible in his media dealings. So, it’s a 50-50. The rest is up for your debate!