Paul Finebaum isn’t pulling any punches, folks. After USC got handed a brutal 41-27 loss by Oregon this past weekend, the ESPN personality went full throttle, calling head coach Lincoln Riley a “complete fraud.”
The Hot Seat Just Went Nuclear
This wasn’t merely any loss either. The Trojans desperately needed that win to take a real step forward in the Big Ten race. Instead, Oregon, coming off their own loss to Oklahoma State, got a much-needed bounce back, nabbing their fifth consecutive win over USC. Talk about Riley being on the hot seat? Consider that heat turned way, way up. Finebaum didn’t mince words on “First Take” Monday. “What I think we saw here was a tale of an elite coach (Oregon’s Dan Lanning) and a complete fraud as a coach, and I think everybody knows who the fraud is. It is Lincoln Riley,” he stated. Ouch.
A $70 Million Problem and a Classless Moment
The criticism isn’t solely about the on-field performance, though. Finebaum hammered Riley by pointing out his record at this point in his tenure matches Clay Helton’s, the guy USC fired for $10 million. But if USC wanted to make a change now? It would reportedly cost a staggering $70 million to get rid of Lincoln Riley. Finebaum didn’t flinch on that price tag, adding, “but I promise you, USC people, it would be worth it because this guy is bringing your program down to the gutter.” Yikes.
And then there’s the truly ugly situation with Oregon star QB Dante Moore’s injury. Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II delivered a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit on Moore as he slid, knocking him out cold. What makes it worse? Stephens was seen *celebrating* afterward while Oregon players moved to confront him. Riley called Stephens’ actions “unacceptable” and eventually suspended him for one game, but Finebaum blamed Riley for a lack of leadership in the moment. “He barely even handled the situation on the field,” Finebaum blasted. “Thanks to Dan Lanning, there wasn’t an absolute massive brawl afterwards. He kept his team cool, which I don’t think was very easy to do. I wouldn’t have blamed the other side if they had straight up started a street fight with USC after that, completely classless. The fact that Lincoln Riley took till Sunday to decide to suspend Stevens, it’s ridiculous.” That’s a brutal assessment, and honestly, hard to argue with given the circumstances.
So, what’s next for No. 18 USC and Lincoln Riley? They’re sitting at 4-1 and have to face Washington at home this coming Saturday, October 3. Another stinker, and those calls for a $70 million buyout are only going to get louder.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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