You probably saw or read this earlier in the month of July: USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was one of 21 coaches named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List.
Riley is one of four Big Ten coaches on the preseason watch list, joined by Ryan Day of Ohio State, Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, and James Franklin of Penn State. You will note that Dan Lanning of Oregon is not on the list. That seems surprising … but when you then step back and look at the USC and Oregon programs, it’s worth emphasizing that preseason recognition really doesn’t count for much in this business. Oregon is being picked as a College Football Playoff team. The Ducks are widely seen as one of the two best teams in the Big Ten, whereas USC is not.
None of this stuff matters, however. What matters is getting the job done on the field this fall.
Lincoln Riley is one of the nation’s most successful coaches. He’s had more success by the age of 40 than most other head coaches in college football history. Riley has been a head coach for seven seasons and has developed three of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners. Riley is the only head coach to coach three Heisman-winning quarterbacks, as well as the only coach to have three players selected No. 1 in the NFL’s common draft era.
From coaching three Heisman Trophy winners, to having an 80 percent winning record, to appearing in three College Football Playoffs, Lincoln Riley’s coaching achievements set a standard of excellence. Yet, what really counts is getting USC back on track in 2024 and lifting the Trojans back to a standard where they are competing for national titles. That, not any coaching award watch list, is what really matters at USC. Riley himself would agree with that, too.
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