Why Lincoln Riley & USC are sliding + Jim Harbaugh-Michigan breakup | Colin Cowherd College Football 

If you actually watched college football over the last 5 years, you wouldn't be so dumbfounded about what's happening at USC.

Colin you should give Oklahoma fans an apology they tried to warn you.

Riley does not coach to win games. He coaches so his QBs can put up huge numbers. Thats why he never runs and plays terrible D so they can keep throwing the second half against terrible teams.

USC made a huge mistake by hiring LR and it will cost them 100+ million and several years of a down program before they can recover.

Anybody remember Colin making fun of guys for saying this 2 years ago. 2 years ago guys tried to tell Colin how much of a mistake USC made.

These guys are right that the transfer portal has changed the dynamic of rivalries. But at the 8:31 mark, John Middlekauff said that Chip Kelly doesn't care much about the program. That's just flat out wrong. Chip makes his UCLA players stand in front of the team & share the story of a former Bruins football player. What Chip lacks in the enthusiasm department, he makes up for in passion for the history of the program he's in charge of. You should see the way Chip chokes up when talking about the late great Terry Donahue and filling in his shoes.

Michigan’s schedule is the antithesis of favorable next year: OSU, Texas, Oregon, Washington, USC are not at all favorable. Am I missing something something?

Lincoln Riley is the Jimbo Fisher of the West

They are sliding because Lincoln Riley isn't smart enough to build a team he took over a team at Oklahoma that was already built and couldn't do anything with it then took half of their players and half of their coaching staff to USC the Trojans are going to be in trouble when they make the move to the Big ten because they are going to get throttled every weekend with him coaching

"Imagine thinking, in the era of offensive football, Brent Venables was an upgrade over @LincolnRiley. Sooner fans truly believed it." - Colin Cowherd Oct. 8, 2022. 🤣🤣🤣 Who are the delusional fans now? 😉5:03

As a lifelong USC fan this has been the most frustrating season I can remember in all honesty, including the Helton years. The expectations were through the roof and boy did they come crashing down. The truth hurts Colin, but you gotta tell it like it is.

Don’t forget the Cal game SC was extremely lucky to win that one

Riley is failing cause he has no concern for defense. If he had a dc that was just average, a lot of the losses could’ve been wins.

oklahoma but i wouldnt put them in that class. they have 4 playoff appearances, they have how many big 12 chips? like 7 lol. oklahoma is easily a top 5 to 6 team the last 10 years.

USC…where Colin was WRONG

You have a team of street fighters like John McKay had. It's about toughness and big guys like Anthony Munoz. Lincoln Riley instills a culture like a flag football team.

Nice to hear John credit Utah's Kyle Whittingham at 3:40. How many Power 5 teams could play Utah's schedule this year without their starting QB (Cam Rising) and still have a winning record at this point of the season?

Cowturd broke up with Lincoln????? 😂😂😂

John McKay was once asked why he was having success against ND and he replied, "big and fast beats big and slow every time". The same holds true for "small and fast", though I don't view USC as being that athletic. Some offensive coaches, like Harbaugh who did play QB, are from an era where it was understood that line play and physical defense still wins a lot of games. As John mentions, Riley is a true product of Mike Leach, where QB play and the passing game dictates everything. Leach had to run a gimmick offense in Pullman and Lubbock to get 6 or 7 wins and a bowl berth. In Norman and LA, Riley can win on both sides of the ball but chooses not to, because he doesn't know how to. That's how you get Alex Grinch, small players, and soft football.

😂 Siri play “ BOOMER SOONER”.

This is the exact opposite of what Cowherd was saying last year. He claimed USC needed "glamour" and "sizzle" and supported Riley the whole way. USC was always about power running and strong defense, and getting away from it has killed us the last 10 years

My thoughts exactly!!!!! I just had a the same conversation with a friend of mine earlier today …. Crazy

Media turning against Riley is awesome

Wow Colin , finally telling the truth about Riley. My how the turntables!

Lincoln is an offensive coach. Period. He's a great OC and a great QB coach. He's not ready to be a CEO of a blue blood. He got gifted the job at Oklahoma, thought he saw greener pastures (and good for him even if the manner in which he left makes him look like a POS) and left for USC. Will he learn how to be a CEO? It's a 100 million dollar experiment that USC has gambled on here.

Riley has been in decline every step of his head coaching career. Sliding downward for him is simply a trend.

GIVE MY U of A Wildcats some love!

I dont think its defensive guys or offensive as head coach . Its about are they good managers and motivators of the team .

Is LR coaching for a buyout? Is he trying to retire early?

Excellent point about rivalries & transfers. Live by portal die by the portal.

Please Colin come back on the Peristyle Podcast and drop this fire on Ryan Abraham. He has become delusional in his defense of Lincoln Riley

John McKay, JRob, Tollner, Larry Smith & Caroll all recruited Huge O-Line & big D-Line. SC produced 1st round Picks & won Outland trophies in the trenches. Not lately.

We OKLAHOMA FANS told yall about the disrespect shown to lincoln because he is a girl, the OKLAHOMA players used to call him "LINC" or "LINCOLN" instead of COACH, plus he was scared of BAKER MAYFIELD and CALEB WILLIAMS as well, listen to lincoln talk about caleb, one game this year he said 'CALEB WOULDNT LET ME TAKE HIM OUT THE GAME," ... WHOS THE COACH HERE?

The only success Lincoln had at OU was having such great offenses that the defense giving up 40 didn’t matter As a OU fan, I got laughed at and mocked and told by USC fans he was going to have better players, because we all know California is superior to everywhere else. It’s about time you realize he had those players at OU. Go look at his recruiting at OU it was very impressive The lies he fed you about the step up in talent he would have at USC was absolute garbage Lincoln doesn’t care about your school. USC fans act like they poached OU’s coach. Lincoln didn’t want to be there anymore. He was actively looking for another job, and USC backed up the brinks truck, and he couldn’t say no

Colin is #1

As a Michigan alumni for the past 50 years. Jim Harbaugh was suspended twice this year and now the firing LB coach represents lack of organizational control. NCAA is not done with punishment of my Wolverines Jim Harbaugh should be fired or he needs to resign As always, Go Blue

Riley got a wake up call in the PAC. It goes to show how weak the BIG12 was for him to look like an offensive guru.

Let's not forget Colin stated that Caleb Williams was a generational talent. Said it countless times. Now, he carefully back tracks so as not to look totally stupid.

Colin’s that far up Lincoln Reiley’s ass you couldn’t find him with a pick and shovel just like he said how great Urban was going to be for Jacksonville!!!🏈🏈🏈

If you think Caleb cried after the loss to Utah just wait till he loses the Heisman to Bo Nix!!!

Call I don't even watch your show you got Lincoln and I'm happy for you we got a great coat here at OU now

Lincoln hasn't even been in a national title game as a player, assistant, oc, and so far a hc. he has no personal blueprint for what it takes.

I sent a referral email to the director of recruiting at SC for a family friend's nephew who plays at Serra HS. The kid is a 6'5", 290lb OLineman who can run a 4.85 40 and also plays basketball. Solid footwork and this kid is strong. All I got was crickets. Smh.

Colin. Let’s replay some of your old videos saying USC was winning the natty and OU was new Nebraska. Those were my favorite predictions. I thought USC was the Mecca?

Colin’s feet gotta be tired after all that back peddling! 😂

Its quite unfair that people are hating & trolling Coach Riley- he only in year 2. People forget USC was 4- 8 3yrs ago...& Riley was in a totally rebuilding situation after the Helton Era......Again it took Pete Carroll 3 full years to est. Championship Culture. Riley did a amazibg job last year & he struggled this season....Another issue Riley is just now est his own recruiting class...Give Riley Credit he fired his friend Grinch. He owned up to his mistakes & now hes about to hire a Great DC Coach... i sincerly hope that USC dominates the Big 10 like they used to and majesthe CFPlayoff next year so all the Trolls Finebaum THE Sec, Choklahoma fan and all Media can Eat Crow...Ive Always liked Coach Link hes a great Young Coach @ 40. USC future is Bright

2 weeks ago Collin was saying McCarthy was a first round QB lol he’s not even top 10 in this potential QB class

This is way better than your tv show.

I 100% disagree with this guy's take on JJ McCarthy!! Yep, he missed Johnson deep once. But Wilson, their top receiver went out early. Mich is THIN at wide receiver!! McCarthy has ALL the tools. He's 6'3, is mobile, has a big arm and can make the touch pass!! It was very windy at Maryland last week. That and Mich having two O-line guy's down didn't help!! Barnhart at right guard is a statue!! JJ McCarthy is a top QB, bottom line!! Cocky? I say CONFIDENT!!

USC had too much success in Lincolns first year at SC and it set the expectations too high because it was a mercenary team and this year's team is a hybrid. He hasn't had time to build his program. USC played hard against Utah, Washington and Oregon. It's hard to stay motivated when the bottom dropped out of the season

Usc needs a better dc and a concentration on defensive recruits

SC had 3 yards rushing on Saturday

Will the Jay Harbaugh news impact your perspective on Harbaugh’s future at UMich?

Uscs main issue is there proximity to the pacific ocean. Hard to grind im southern cal

Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams future Raiders Coach and QB 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

A rumor going around usc boosters is that the team knows that the pneumonia story was a cover for a trip to colorado to meet with chicago management.

Riley seems to have become as universally disliked as Harbaugh now.

When SC last played buckeyes, I just saw a small team vs osu. Couldn't believe it. Nothing has changed. SC needs to get Pete Carroll big. Won't succeed until it happens, ESPECIALLY moving to b10.

Lincoln is still an elite coach. Go look at his record. He’s had 2 losses almost every year. I get it, he hasn’t had the defense to win championships, but he won the big 12 3 times. How many times has Texas won the big 12 in that time? Happiness in life comes down to expectations. If your goal is to be perfect, then anything less than that will be an absolute failure

Riley is nit a championship coach Oklahoma lucked out for him leaving now watch ou win a cfp game This bv 2nd year & they’re getting better usc is trouble unless Riley changes were in trouble

I was telling people last year that Lincoln Riley was a wrong fit for USC!

Long Time SC Fan here, have ABSOLUTELY NO Confidence in LRiley, imo, NOT a HC one can believe in, No football FORESIGHT. Not on par with the top College coaches and it SHOWS when playing Good programs. I'm done with SC till he LEAVES.

If the NFL wants the duo, and USC is willing to let Riley go… the agents will work it out. If USC wants to get better, BUY the best coaches to replace the existing assistants and buy players like you have Phil Knight money. ✌️

This year, usc is much closer to 3-9 actually. Cal should have beat them and almost did. Colorado should have come back and beat them. AZ had them beat and just didn't go for two in OT. AZ st had them on the ropes. 4-8 or 3-9. This is a train wreck program that payed LR 100+ million. Here's hoping he has a off-the-field scandal sometime soon.

You can sit there and say that USC is small all you want. But when Paul Finebaum got on his show several Mondays ago after the Colorado game and then told the world that USC is not going to the National Championship USC was never the same. And I'm all for keeping kids away from the TV screen. People act like that's monumental😅

John didn’t watch the pen state game. JJ went 7/8. It was the tackles that couldn’t stop the D ends

Keeping Harbaugh off the sideline during games and allowing him to continue to coach during the week is no punishment at all.

But he is an offensive coach Colin, I thought that’s all that matters

Lincoln’s problem has always been Benny Wylie his strength and conditioning coach. His most successful teams at OU where the first two years when they had the past S&C coach’s mindset. As soon as Benny Wylie came in they got soft.

Convinced Colin never watches any UGA games. You mention Riley Leonard as a top pick and never even utter the name Carson Beck? What a west coast fraud.

NOT TRUE…effort is conditional. If team doesn’t like their coach or their qb, team/teammates will give minimal effort…but if coach gets fired or 3rd string qb starts they’ll play like their lives depended on winning.

Michigan has the toughest schedule in the country “BY FAR” next year. It would be VERY tough for MIch to win 10 games next year, without Harbaugh.

Jen Cohen will make this all work out just dandy. Don’t worry USC fans. She’s awesome. You just wait.

USC lost itself in the early mid 2010s I’ve never seen the defense and oline look sooo bad and I’ve been a fan for 20 years. Gotta do better coaching and recruiting and the CULTURE

Pete Carroll didn't have a superior dynamic wide out,,,,that played in the League.. Mike Williams and Jarrett were terrible on Sundays, but they had tons of guys in the trenches on both sides. ..SC needs to stop caring about tons of wide receivers and get guys on the dline and O-line and fast linebackers!!

Easy answer. Riley is an X's & O's architect. He is not a Coach.

The problem is there moving into league and they're not qualified in next year.

Thank y9u Colin for saying this!!! I told Ryan Abraham this...He thought USC guys in the transfer portal was big...SC is small...and weak, most guys do terrible in the transfer portal!!

USC has been like this for awhile now nothing new.

I'm happy Middlekauf said college succeeds with defensive coaches. Offensive geniuses don't win titles.

“Remarkable”

Michigan Alum here ('96) and I'm relieved Harbaugh has left. Finally, getting a coach who does LOVE being there and will stay without threatening us with the NFL year after year. Also, his goofball son has ended the nine years of stupid nepotism. Funny how Harbaugh saddled Michigan with Jay Harbaugh for his entire tenure but as soon as he leaves and his paycheck demands instant success, who does he not bring with him? Good riddance. Best of luck to Seattle and your special teams. Go ahead and watch the 2024 Michigan/Bama game for what to expect on your ST squad 😂🤣🤡

Cowturd singing a different tune today! 😅😅😅😅😅

Jim Harbaugh would be making a huge mistake staying in Michigan after this year. There will be opportunities to coach in the NFL next year. How do you know the Chargers won't be interested in paying Harbaugh? They can't keep Staley at all. I highly doubt Belicheck will even want to go to the Chargers (not when he would have to deal with Mahomes twice a year and Russell Wilson twice a year). Harbaugh would love to take that challenge.

I thought USC was going to be a power player in the new big 10 and the super conference was going to dominate college football 😂 with their massive markets. Weird.

I remember when Riley was hired. Colin had them winning the super bowl. We have Apple. We have Google. We have nil. He'll be able to recruit anyone and compete with the SEC. The west coast bias is comical but we have the receipts Colin, you only have excuses.

You were saying he needs to get a NFL job a month ago

Ignore the noise and virtue signaling, and Go Blue!!

Uncle T has entered the chat…

They're off on JJ. I think JJ got dinged up against Penn State and is not 100%. Even Klatt said during the Maryland game that he doesn't think JJ is fully healthy. He is a bit undisciplined, but nowhere near as much as the season when McNamara was starting. He also normally doesn't "miss easy stuff." That was just the Maryland game. I really think these guys have only watched the previous two games this season and have just relied on scores, stats and highlights when judging Michigan because Michigan was "playing nobody."

Apathy is the perfect word for what the problem is at USC

While I agree with many of Colin's remarks on Lincoln, let's not go crazy, yet. Maybe he's smart to know what he doesn't know? Maybe, in addition to hiring a legit defensive coordinator, he brings in Ed Orgeron to recruit and coach the big guys in the trenches? While I am angrier than most SC fans, I'm not going to bury the guy after one season. If he doesn't adapt, and turn the defense over to competent people, and focus on the big guys, then I'll bury him.

Go Lions!!!

I was looking for a championship season from my school. Instead another year of Keystone cops looking defense. Caleb should be upset. I am too. Now the silly move to the Big 10. (anyone think about the time zone differences) SAD SAD SAD 2023 football season!

Why no mention of a level 1 penalty for Harbaugh? This is on top of the cheating scandal.

Yep, you think Mason Cobb, or Bear Alexander give a rats ass about the UCLA or the Notre Dame rivalry. Riley even said those games are just another game on the schedule. Riley needs to do a much better job of recruiting Southern California, because right now, he's no better than Clay Helton.

LOL! This just shows you what Colin knows. He wasn’t saying this crap at the beginning of the season. The bottom line is that Riley is a horrible coach! Why doesn’t Colin admit this? You know why? Because he’d have to eat crow!

I need Colin to keep that “Lincoln Riley is a grand slam hire” energy🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🅾️🙌🏽

I love "Cowhead" having to get off his knees and stop dating Riley...he wouldn't admit the problem at OU was the man at the top...

Love how 2 or 3 weeks ago he loved jj mcarthy now he's completely trash and to cocky..do u kno him personally I've never seen him be anything but humble