As college athletes began earning substantial incomes—often surpassing what many fans earn in their lifetimes—there were worries about how these young, wealthy individuals would cope with the sense of entitlement that could accompany their newfound wealth. This concern holds weight, even for those who support the principles of capitalism. While money can resolve many issues, it also brings its own set of challenges.

However, what often goes unexamined is whether young coaches, who have quickly climbed the ranks, face similar issues.

Lincoln Riley, who became a head coach at the age of 33 at one of college football’s premier programs, Oklahoma, has found himself under scrutiny. If you’re a USC fan observing Riley’s recent struggles—losing eight of his last 13 games, engaging in unnecessary disputes with the media, and creating alienation within the Trojans’ community—it’s natural to question whether his rapid rise has led to a lack of maturity and accountability.

Is Riley more skilled as a coach today than he was in 2017, when he nearly steered Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff championship game?

Statistics suggest he’s not. Furthermore, the circumstances indicate that he might not be the right fit for a USC program that isn’t recruiting at its traditional elite level, not performing like a Big Ten contender, and failing to generate the publicity needed in such a major market like Los Angeles.

If everyone could go back to that moment in December 2021—when Riley made the surprising choice to depart Oklahoma for USC—it would be difficult to defend the rumored $10 million annual salary based on the mediocre football he has delivered over the past two and a half seasons.

Currently, after 33 games in his role, it appears that Riley is not fitting well within the USC culture. Instead of acclimating to the relaxed atmosphere of Los Angeles, he seems to be stressed and immature, reacting defensively to reporters raising valid questions. Additionally, his relationship with athletics director Jennifer Cohen, who didn’t bring him on board, is reportedly strained.

Riley’s personality demands so much effort from those around him to keep him content that they would prefer to avoid him altogether. This approach may work elsewhere, but it spells trouble for USC, especially in a time when results are lacking.

To put it plainly: Riley isn’t accomplished enough to exude confidence like Urban Meyer.

He needs to relax a bit.

USC supporters have weathered tough times before; they know all too well about hard seasons over the past decade. Despite the Trojans sitting at a .500 record of 3-3 after a narrow 33-30 overtime defeat to Penn State, there are positives to consider.

Although USC’s record is not what they had hoped for, they have been narrowly defeated in these matchups, losing by a total of just 13 points, often finding themselves in leading positions only to falter late. They are just a few crucial plays away from being unbeaten at 6-0.

Given the right context and a better public perception strategy, Riley could emerge as a relatable figure for a USC team in need of rebuilding. Yet he does not receive the benefit of the doubt when the most noteworthy aspect of each week revolves around which reporter he’ll confront for their inquiries.

This turbulence has propelled USC to the top of the Misery Index—a weekly gauge of fan bases experiencing the most distress.

Additional Teams in Distress

Oklahoma: The split with Riley hasn’t been easy for the Sooners either. In Year 3 under Brent Venables, they face a stark contrast from what they experienced with their previous coach. While Venables has shored up the defense—a change anticipated given his impressive background—offensive struggles persist. The Sooners strive to play at a fast pace with clever tactics but fall short with a lack of effective passing. This was evident in their 34-3 defeat to Texas, where freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins struggled significantly, leading to repeated failures on offense. This reality is especially hard for fans to accept, as Dillon Gabriel exited after last season to join Oregon, where he is now contributing to a likely College Football Playoff-bound team.

Ohio State: Admittedly, losing a tight game on the road at Oregon, 32-31, won’t drastically alter the Buckeyes’ trajectory this season. One advantage of the new 12-team playoff format is that it allows teams to take on tough opponents without stressing about their entire season hanging in the balance. Nevertheless, the psychological effect of this loss cannot be overlooked, particularly because of the way it unfolded—Buckeyes coach Ryan Day faced significant challenges under pressure, leading to questionable decisions. Even with a one-point deficit, Ohio State found themselves with a first down at Oregon’s 28-yard line and 28 seconds remaining, only to squander their chance at a field goal.

Ohio State experienced a frustrating end to the game due to decisions that included throwing the ball downfield when it may not have been necessary, poor management of the game clock (noting that the clock continues to run after an offensive pass interference), and a missed opportunity when Howard kept the ball and went down after time expired (with still a timeout remaining). The Buckeyes will have future chances to make up for this loss, but after three consecutive defeats to Michigan and struggles in reaching a national championship, the tolerance for Day’s performance in crucial games is decreasing.

Florida: Fans of the Gators will find some coaching choices to criticize following their narrow 23-17 overtime defeat to Tennessee. The focal point here is on the final decision. After scoring a touchdown with 29 seconds remaining, Florida had the option to either tie the game or go for two points to win in regulation. Billy Napier, under pressure to show significant improvement in the latter half of the season to save his job, initially sent the offensive team out. However, after Tennessee called a timeout in response to confusion at the line, Napier changed his mind and instead opted for a field goal to tie, which turned out to be a poor choice as Florida struggled in overtime. When asked about the decision, he stated, “we just felt like let’s play overtime” following Tennessee’s timeout, which didn’t reflect confidence from Florida’s side.

Central Florida: A couple of statistics regarding Knights coach Gus Malzahn warrant examination. In his 46 games at UCF, he has lost 12 times when the team was favored, and his offensive squads have failed to score 20 points on 11 occasions. This raises the question: does one of the top offensive strategists of the 2010s still have his sharpness in the 2020s? UCF’s current record is 3-3, and fans might feel understandably disappointed following a 19-13 home loss against Cincinnati. This marks a three-game losing streak, during which the offense has managed to score a mere 47 points collectively. Due to the offensive struggles, Malzahn opted to bench veteran quarterback KJ Jefferson and start freshman EJ Colson, only to turn to Miami transfer Jacurri Brown in the second quarter after Colson’s performance faltered. It’s uncertain how this situation will unfold, but the initial excitement of moving to the Big 12 has diminished for UCF. By hiring Malzahn instead of a rising star, the Knights made a significant statement about their goals; however, they don’t appear to be as strong as they were in the American Athletic when coaches like Scott Frost and Josh Heupel had more success with their offenses.

Disappointing but not disastrous

Alabama: If the Crimson Tide had lost to South Carolina just a week after a defeat to Vanderbilt, we might have been forced to consider whether Kalen DeBoer is in over his head. Thankfully, we can delay that conversation for a little longer. Alabama’s narrow 27-25 victory over the Gamecocks revealed critical issues that could spell trouble for their upcoming games against Tennessee, Missouri, and LSU. With the Tide producing just 313 yards and relying on four turnovers from South Carolina to secure a win — the Gamecocks even advanced past midfield with 43 seconds left but failed to score — Alabama has shown vulnerabilities that could be exploited by several SEC teams. Replacing Nick Saban was always going to be challenging, but it seems tougher than anticipated.

Ole Miss: In a matchup that looked promising, Pete Golding’s defense allowed a 23-yard fourth-down touchdown with just 27 seconds remaining, enabling LSU to equalize at Tiger Stadium. Then, during overtime, LSU scored quickly as Garrett Nussmeier threw a 25-yard touchdown pass, leaving Ole Miss at 5-2 without any signature wins as the season progresses. Playoff possibilities? Not quite. (In the voice of Jim Mora.)

Utah: Utah’s past disappointments often stemmed from quarterback Cam Rising dealing with a slew of injuries so extensive it could fill a lengthy menu. However, Rising returned on Friday, only for it to have little impact as Utah fell 27-19 to Arizona State. The Utes scored just one touchdown despite making seven trips into the Sun Devils’ 30-yard territory and turning the ball over three times. As Rising is now 25 years old, Utah will need to strategize for the future and find ways to score when he is no longer the quarterback or even when he still is.

Purdue: Coach Ryan Walters deserves some recognition. Although his two-point conversion attempt in overtime fell short, it was a bold decision as an underdog to go for the win against Illinois. This is especially true with the current overtime rules where Purdue would have been required to attempt a two-point conversion in a second overtime. Still, it was a heart-wrenching loss of 50-49. After overcoming a 12-point deficit to hold a lead with just 46 seconds remaining — aided by an onside kick recovery — Purdue’s defense failed to hold, allowing a tying field goal at the buzzer. Instead of achieving a potential breakthrough win, the Boilermakers fell to a disappointing 1-5.