After Southern California lost to a pivotal game to Oregon — to say nothing of the fallout from the Dante Moore injury — ESPN personality Paul Finebaum called Trojans coach Lincoln Riley "a complete fraud.'
In a game USC needed win to prove itself as a College Football Playoff contender, it was unable to snap its losing streak to the Ducks, losing 41-27 for the fifth consecutive defeat to Oregon. There has been pressure building for Riley to show his team is among the best in the country, but another ranked loss has people questioning if he can get it done in Los Angeles, especially since he now has the same record as his predecessor Clay Helton did through 58 games at 39-19, putting him on the hot seat.
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Now, Finebaum fully believes Riley isn't the guy for USC.
"What I think we saw here was a tale of an elite coach (referencing Oregon's Dan Lanning) and a complete fraud as a coach, and I think everybody knows who the fraud is. It is Lincoln Riley," Finebaum said on "First Take" on Monday, Sept. 28. "He has the same record at this point in his tenure as Clay Helton, who got fired and run off.
"It cost about $10 million to get rid of him. It will cost about $70 million to get rid of Lincoln Riley, but I promise you, USC people, it would be worth it because this guy is bringing your program down to the gutter."
Finebaum also condemned how Riley and USC handled the injury of Dante Moore, when linebacker Desman Stephens II hit the Oregon quarterback on the head as he was sliding. The hit knocked Moore out, and Stephens was seen celebrating the play afterward as Oregon players moved to confront him and other USC players.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning called it a "disgusting play," while Riley seemingly dismissed a question asking why Stephens remained on the sideline after halftime following his ejection, saying, "Because he's on our football team."
On Sunday Sept. 27, USC announced Stephens was suspended for one game for actions Riley said were "unacceptable."
"He barely even handled the situation on the field," Finebaum said. "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 just started a street fight with USC after this, just completely classless. The fact that Lincoln Riley, he took till Sunday to decide to suspend Stevens, it's ridiculous."
"Everybody knows who the fraud is. It's Lincoln Riley… it will cost about $70 million to get rid of Lincoln Riley. But I promise you, USC people, it will be worth it because this guy is bringing your program down to the gutter" – Paul Finebaum pic.twitter.com/Ir21TYRTlF
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2026
The ESPN personality also took a shot that USC isn't the best college football team in the city.
"Yeah, he did a great job in recruiting, and SC is this and that. But you know what? They don't even have the best team in Los Angeles right now. That belongs to UCLA," he added.
No. 18 USC is 4-1 and faces Washington at home on Saturday, Oct. 3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paul Finebaum rips Lincoln Riley as 'complete fraud,' says USC not even best team in L.A.
