Lincoln Riley spoke with local reporters after taking the stage with national media on day two of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Indiana. Riley countered a question asking if he thought USC would be competitive long-term with the teams at the top of the Big Ten Conference.
Riley did not hesitate to proclaim: “We are at the top of the Big Ten Conference. We are the top of any conference. I never look beneath anyone and never will.”
After a season that exposed USC’s lack of depth on both lines of scrimmage, it was clear that USC’s return to glory was not a reload but a rebuild. The schools that many point to as this year’s Big Ten: Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Oregon have completely different rosters than USC two years ago, when Riley replaced fired coach Clay Helton. Ohio State coach Ryan Day took over a program from Urban Meyer that was loaded with blue-chip players and has been run by Tressel and Meyer for nearly two decades. Mario Cristobal had the Oregon Ducks reloading talent for four years before Dan Lanning arrived. The Ducks have stacked this roster with Nike founder and super booster Phil Knight and his elite Division Street collective.
“Listen, two years ago, look where Ohio State and Oregon were two years ago,” Riley continued. “Look at what they took on and look at what we took on. You now. I mean, it takes time. I’m not a magician. I can’t wave a magic wand and have everything be perfect immediately, but just name one area where we haven’t made progress. This thing has gained momentum. Is coming. Nothing will stop this. Okay, they started at a different point. We’ll see where this ends.”
It seems like Riley needs to frequently remind the media and fans that building line depth doesn’t happen overnight. USC has also been much more conservative than Ohio State and Oregon in how it interpreted the NIL rules regarding incentives for high school recruits prior to court rulings that effectively neutered the NCAA’s ability to enforce them. It doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to believe that USC is a program that should be at the top of the Big Ten with the right coaching staff in place; history has made this very clear with USC’s dominance of the Big Ten over the decades with the right coach.
It seems like Riley needs to frequently remind the media and fans that building line depth doesn’t happen overnight.
Then there is NIL. USC has also been much more conservative than schools like Ohio State and Oregon in how they interpreted NIL rules regarding incentives for high school recruits before things changed with court rulings that effectively neutered the NCAA’s ability to apply them. It doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to believe that USC is a program that should be at the top of the Big Ten with the right coaching staff in place; history has made this very clear with USC’s dominance of the Big Ten over the decades with the right coach.
Riley not only left Grinch, but also brought in an elite defensive coaching staff led by precocious second-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. If this team proves it’s as good on Saturdays as it is on paper, the Big Ten knows what’s next.
Perhaps the most intriguing part was the conviction and confidence in Riley’s voice during her response. There was no hesitation. There was doubt.
