USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley Criticized for Struggling in NIL, Transfer Portal Era

On his college football podcast, CBS Sports' Josh Pate criticized the USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley for their inability to take advantage changes to name, image, and likeness as well as transfer portal rules. Pate says USC should be dominating in this era of the sport.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans season in 2024 did not go according to expectations after beginning the year with an upset win over the LSU Tigers in the Vegas Kickoff Classic. The Trojans finished the regular season 6-6, and USC coach Lincoln Riley's win total has decreased every year from 11, to eight, to six wins.

The Trojans will have a chance to finish with a winning record with a win over the Texas A&M Aggies in the Las Vegas Bowl. The season begins and ends in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for USC.

CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate shared some of his thoughts on USC in the current landscape of the sport, including name, image, and likeness rules as well as the transfer portal. Safe to say, Pate did not pull punches in his criticism of USC.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

"Let's pretend it's 2010. I come to you, and I give you a vistion of the future of college football. I tell you we will have wide open free agency, there will be no cap on spending, and players will move all over the place at their discretion. I think USC would've terrified you. . . . USC's gonna dominate. They're gonna go scorched Earth."

Pate makes the analogy in order to demonstrate not only the potential of USC but also the harsh reality of Trojans' status in college football. Riley and his team are far from dominating. The popular college football analyst argued that USC should be competing with Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and Michigan instead of losing to Big Ten teams like Minnesota.

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The transfer portal opened on Dec. 9, and the Trojans lost 19 players, including quarterback Miller Moss, wide receivers Duce Robinson, Zachariah Branch, and defensive lineman Bear Alexander. Riley and his staff have recruited talented players to USC, but the wins on the recruiting trail have not translated onto the field.

"I know it's very popular in this business to shout in a megaphone and have definitive takes. I don't know that theres a definitive stance to be taken here," Pate said. "I don't think it's guaranteed Lincoln Riley's going to flame out, and it's certainly not a guarantee right now that he's going to pull it out of the ditch, and they'll be fine."

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Duce Robinson (2) catches a pass against Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Rod Heard II (2) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"How much more patience should I have? What are the tell-tale signs that are starting to take root, versus what are the tell-tale signs that it was lip service but it's not going to work. That is tough to discern," continued Pate.

The Trojans made a bowl game, but USC will be watching from home as new conference rivals such as Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State compete in the College Football Playoff. Adding insult to injury, Notre Dame has a chance to win its first national championship since 1988.

"USC feels a little cooked right now," said Pate.

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