Lincoln Riley Faces Pressure as USC Takes on Ohio State

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Lincoln Riley Faces Pressure as USC Prepares for Ohio State

Questions continue to surround Lincoln Riley at Southern Cal. The program has invested heavily in him, but big-time victories and wins over top-25 opponents have been difficult to find.

The success of Chesney has added to the pressure. UCLA appears headed for the playoffs, while USC is coming off a loss to Wisconsin. The Badgers entered that game as three-point underdogs, but USC faced a difficult situation after traveling across the country following its win over Penn State.

The matchup with Ohio State now feels like a defining moment. Ohio State is playing an inexperienced quarterback, while Riley’s teams can usually score points. Even so, the sportsbooks appear to have little faith in USC’s offense reaching the 30s.

Ohio State’s defense may ultimately be too much for USC, especially if the offense gets the ball into Smith’s hands. However, Ohio State’s lack of a viable backup quarterback is surprising given the program’s resources and its history of once having Joe Burrow in that role.

When Julian Sean was injured a couple of weeks ago, Ohio State turned to a 5-foot-9 quarterback who was difficult to see behind the center. That situation raises further questions about how the program constructed its quarterback depth.