USC fans want Paul Finebaum to go away. However, there’s one thing clearly better than Finebaum disappearing: Finebaum being proved very, very wrong by Lincoln Riley and USC this year. Finebaum had another wild take on ESPN First Take and it’s another instance in which the talker rips Lincoln Riley and USC. “I’m so underwhelmed by what he has done there. He train wrecked it,” Finebaum said.
The main gripe that Finebaum has on Riley is the fact that the coach supposedly refused to change. This obviously errant claim by Finebaum is borne out by the fact that Riley completely revamped his defensive staff with a series of big changes.
Finebaum doubled down on his opinion on USC’s head coach when asked about the Trojans’ Week 1 matchup with LSU.
“I fully expect Lincoln Riley to show what an average coach he is against, to me, a coach who can be elite at times, and that’s Brian Kelly of LSU,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up! “LSU’s missing the Heisman trophy winner; they’re missing some other key players. But I totally agree; I think people will be able to turn off the TV early and go to sleep early that night because it won’t be that close.”
The defense has been a struggle for Lincoln Riley’s teams in years past. However, the Trojans hope new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn can turn things around for a defensive unit that ranked near the bottom of the Pac-12 last season.
If the Trojans don’t come to play vs LSU in Las Vegas, it will only fuel the fire for Finebaum and other Lincoln Riley doubters. It’s up to Riley and USC to silence those doubters with an emphatic display of good football … and a win.
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