Paul Finebaum Calls Major College Football Coach a 'Fraud'

Paul Finebaum Calls Major College Football Coach a 'Fraud' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
In the world of sports, some teams consistently rise to the top and maintain their success for long periods, while others experience fluctuations in performance.
Advertisement
The teams that remain at the pinnacle are often referred to as the "blue bloods" of their sport. Examples of such teams in college football include the Alabama Crimson Tide, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oklahoma Sooners, USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes, among others.
While many of these programs continue to perform well today, one team has encountered difficulties: USC. This offseason, the Trojans were ranked as the second-best program in the history of college football. However, they have struggled in recent years.
They have achieved only five 10-win seasons since 2009. In contrast, Alabama has achieved 15 10-win seasons during that same timeframe, while Notre Dame has had nine, Oklahoma has had 11 and Ohio State has had 14.
On "The Paul Finebaum Show," a caller asked the SEC Network analyst whether USC would ever regain its prominence. Finebaum expressed optimism, stating that he believes they can return to success, but he feels that head coach Lincoln Riley may be a factor holding them back.
USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks on his headset.Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
"I do believe USC is capable because there is so much to offer there," Finebaum said. "They just happen to have a fraud as their head coach."
Advertisement
Finebaum has been quite critical of Lincoln Riley's tenure at USC, noting that high expectations have not been met with corresponding results.
Riley previously found considerable success at Oklahoma, compiling a 55-10 record over his first five seasons in Norman. This success led to four Big 12 championships and three consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoff.
When he took over at USC, the program had been struggling, and Riley was perceived as a potential savior. The Trojans had not won 10 games since 2017 and were coming off a disappointing 4-8 season in 2021. In his first year, Riley met expectations by leading USC to an 11-3 record and reaching the Pac-12 Championship Game, though it lost 47-24 to Utah. He also helped quarterback Caleb Williams win the Heisman Trophy.
However, the following seasons did not go as well. USC began the 2023 season with high hopes, as Williams returned as quarterback and the team held a preseason ranking of No. 6. Ultimately, the Trojans ended the season with an 8-5 record, losing five of their last seven games. The 2024 season started positively with a win over LSU, but the team finished with a disappointing 7-6 record.
Advertisement
This led Finebaum to comment that it's difficult to imagine a coach performing worse than Riley has at USC.
Despite these challenges, there may be a turning point for Riley and USC after two disappointing seasons. The Trojans boast the No. 1 recruiting class for 2026, with 27 commitments so far, more than any other team.
USC is set to open the upcoming season against Missouri State on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Coach That's Been a 'Bust'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Associated Press

10 minutes ago

• Associated Press

Mets send slumping catcher Francisco Alvarez to minors

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Scuffling catcher Francisco Alvarez was demoted to the minors by the New York Mets on Sunday. The team optioned Alvarez to Triple-A Syracuse and recalled Hayden Senger from its top farm club before Sunday night's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. Senger will back up Luis Torrens, who replaces Alvarez as New York's primary catcher. The move comes after Alvarez went 2 for 5 with a 452-foot home run late in Saturday night's 11-4 victory over Philadelphia, which snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Mets. But he is batting only .236 with three homers, three doubles, 11 RBIs and a .652 OPS in 35 games this year. Alvarez was activated April 25 after beginning the season on the injured list with a hamate fracture in his left hand, and he missed two games this month while on the paternity list. The 23-year-old Alvarez, once rated baseball's best minor league prospect, had 25 homers and 63 RBIs with a .721 OPS as a rookie in 2023. Senger, 28, made his major league debut for the Mets this season and was batting .179 (5 for 28) in 13 big league games. New York began the day tied with Philadelphia atop the NL East. ___ AP MLB:

CBS News

14 minutes ago

• CBS News

Detroit Tigers end 3-game slide with 9-3 win over Tampa Bay Rays

Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Riley Greene had three hits and Wenceel Pérez and Parker Meadows each homered and drove in three runs and Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-3 win at Tampa Bay on Sunday at Steinbrenner Field. Pérez broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run blast in the seventh inning off Garrett Cleavinger (0-3). Dillon Dingler added two hits and an RBI for Detroit, which maintained the best record in the majors (49-30). All three of Greene's hits, including doubles in the second and ninth, led off run-scoring innings. In left field, meanwhile, he made sliding catches to rob Jake Mangum and Junior Caminero of extra bases. And with two outs in the third, he retired Brandon Lowe on an acrobatic catch in foul territory, nearly flipping into the Tigers' bullpen. Yandy Díaz (13 games) and Lowe (11 games) each extended hitting streaks with infield singles for Tampa Bay. Caminero hit his team-leading 19th homer and reached the 50-RBI mark on the year. Tigers starter Casey Mize left a 1-1 game in the sixth after a visit from athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades, leaving with an undisclosed injury. He allowed one run and six hits in five innings, with no walks and five strikeouts. Two Detroit starting pitchers already are on the injured list, right-handers Jackson Jobe (right elbow surgery) and Reese Olson (right ring finger inflammation). Tyler Holton (3-3) picked up the win in relief. Key moment Heavy ninth-inning rain jump-started the Tigers' offense. Through the storm, Detroit hit for the cycle in the six-run inning, breaking open a 3-1 game with six consecutive hits. Greene and Spencer Torkelson led off with doubles, Javier Báez tripled and Meadows blasted a three-run homer. Following the barrage, play resumed after an 18-minute delay. Key statistic Greene batted .600 (6 for 10) in the series with five runs, two doubles, two homers and four RBI. Up next Detroit opens a home series Tuesday against the Athletics, with LHP Tarik Subal (8-2, 2.06 ERA) facing RHP Luis Severino (2-7, 4.42). Rays RHP Taj Bradley (4-5, 4.95) starts Tuesday at Kansas City against LHP Kris Bubic (6-2, 4.12).

Yahoo

15 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Tigers Fans Emotional After Second Consecutive Rough Start by SP Jack Flaherty

Tigers Fans Emotional After Second Consecutive Rough Start by SP Jack Flaherty originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Tigers trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 8-1 early Saturday afternoon as manager AJ Hinch's team appeared on the verge of going down two games in its three-game series with the AL rival Rays. Advertisement The Rays continued to rack up runs after chasing starter Brant Hurter from the game and continuing to pile on reliever Sawyer Gipson-Long. The game came one day after Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, the team's big offseason addition from the Dodgers, was shellacked in a 14-8 loss and chased after 2.1 innings of work. Flaherty's two-game stat total was hard to believe and a bad look in comparison to his previous month, causing Tigers fans to react on X. Jack Flaherty pitches on June 20 at George Steinbrenner Field against the Rays in Tampa Bay. © Mike Watters-Imagn Images "Jack Flaherty has had BACK-TO-BACK 7 earned run starts," The Detroit Times wrote on X. "Absolutely terrible." Flaherty gave up eight runs on Friday against the Rays and seven runs last Saturday against the Reds, bringing his total to 16 runs given up this month in four starts. Advertisement Flaherty gave up 15 runs in five starts during the month of May, showing the depth of his relative struggles in June so far. "Has been bad," one fan said. "Time to trade him for more prospects," another added. "He looks like doesn't even care on the mound," another said. "The Rory of baseball. Got the finale and then downhill," another added on the World Series winning former Dodger. "He wants to stay a Tiger," another added. "Last time he pitched well for them they traded him," they added in jest. "Maybe skip a start and get it figured out," another added. Related: Detroit Tigers Trade Idea Nets Recent Cy Young Award Winner From Faltering National League Team This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.