To be Lincoln Riley or not to be! The shoes of the Trojans’ coach seem especially hard to fill these days since he’s been at the forefront of all the fire from analysts and fans alike. Ever since Paul Finebaum’s words ignited the first spark, analysts and fans alike have been directing all the heat toward Lincoln Riley for his 2 seasons with the team, which will result in more pressure for him to perform well this season, or else.

Lincoln Riley, the HC for the USC Trojans, has been having a tough time ever since his team ranked in the 5th position in the Pac-12 league last season. While the haters are out to get his neck, it’s worth noting that Riley led the team to an 11-3 record and to the top of the table during his breakout season in 2022. Yet, Paul Finebaum’s opinions on Riley were, “I thought last year was one of the worst coaching jobs I’ve ever seen. I would’ve fired Lincoln Riley“ There’s very few who strongly agree with what Finebaum has to say and then there’s Stephen A. Smith, who opposes what the Fox analyst had to say about the HC and praised his performance of the past 2 years.

Stephen A. Smith stands up to Paul Finebaum over Lincoln Riley

On the 22nd July episode of the ESPN College Football show, Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim were joined by Paul Finebaum to talk about various topics ranging from Lincoln Riley to Deion Sanders’ exit. During the segment where they discussed the USC head coach, Smith showed disagreement with Finebaum’s harsh criticism and softened the blow.

While responding to Qerim’s question about whether he agreed with Finebaum’s take on Riley, Smith said, “It’s hard to refute what you said, Paul. I would say you’re a little bit harsh. I mean I was like “ouch!” I mean I must say I expected you to be a bit kinder.” The college football community seems to be divided on whether Riley has been good for the program or not and while there are several opinions, there is no denying the fact that the USC coach will have immense pressure on him for this season. While Smith has taken a stand for Riley over his coaching, there’s a lot left to defend against Finebaum as the arrows from his quiver against the USC coach just keep whizzing by.

Paul Finebaum calls Riley a one-hit wonder

Do you know who actually is a one-hit wonder? The baby from the movie, ‘A Baby’s Day Out’ or the artist Gotye, who made the, ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ song. But when Finebaum went so far as to term Riley a one-hit wonder, it led us to believe that maybe the esteemed sports analyst needs a visit to the optometrist to get his glasses checked. From bashing Coach Prime and calling him a “celebrity coach” to terming Riley a “one-hit wonder”, Finebaum continues to get on the bad side of all these coaches, in what can only be termed as a personal vendetta.

Finebaum’s recent comments trashed Riley’s abilities to fix the defensive problems of the team while still admitting that he’s a good offensive and QB coach. He said, “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.” Thus, Finebaum is out to get Riley and even Deion Sanders but if both the coaches end up performing well this season, then the analyst might just have to eat his words with a pinch of salt and pepper.