Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans host the Iowa Hawkeyes’ first Coliseum cameo since 1976 this weekend. Joel Klatt stays hyped for the matchup but expressed anxiety about how Riley’s boys might get roughed up by the Hawkeyes. Other than one ugly slip vs. Illinois and a loss to a strong Notre Dame squad, the Trojans dominated the season. Yet, the ability of Iowa to drag them into a slow, ugly, Hawkeye-paced fight worries Klatt, though.

On November 13, The Joel Klatt Show shared a clip of the latest episode. It’s time for Riley and company to be on high alert. “I think it’s going to be an insanely frustrating day for USC’s offense because they want to be explosive,” Klatt kept it straight and painfully true. It’s not rocket science to understand why Klatt doubts Riley’s ability.

He acknowledges USC weapons like Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, and King Miller. But it’s Iowa’s thing. They’re known nationally for eliminating big plays. Teams rarely hit deep shots or break long runs on them. “They play zone defense and they maintain their levels. Well, when you do that, you don’t give up explosive plays. They are relentless in terms of tips and overthrows, getting turnovers, creating short fields, situational football,” Klatt warned Riley. 

Kirk Ferentz’s team forces mistakes because they’re always swarming and reading the play. Additionally, on third down, in the red zone, and at the end of the half, Iowa is elite at doing the small things right. Riley’s boys are known for big plays, fast tempo, and quick scoring. But Klatt strongly believes that Iowa will not let them play that way. The Trojans thrive quickly, scoring 5-6 plays on their first six drives. Thus, it’s time for Riley to go through the Hawkeyes’ tapes.

It’s Iowa. They’re going to hang around until the final whistle because that’s their entire identity. Plus, this season, they’ve leaned all the way into peak Iowa mode. Turnovers hurt them vs. Oregon, sure, but penalties are still nonexistent. They don’t beat themselves, and they’re not about to let Riley and co. steal cheap yardage.

However, for the Trojans to beat the Hawkeyes seems to be non-negotiable. For USC, a playoff berth would be a historic achievement. Notably, it would be the first in program history and the first under Riley. After their second loss to Notre Dame, the Trojans know the stakes entering November. A home win over the Hawkeyes would not only extend their streak against ranked opponents but also strengthen their CFP positioning.

Amidst this game tension, USC fans might already be scared about losing their head coach, Riley, ever since Josh Pate’s comment. That’s when Paul Finebaum chose to stir the pot a little more. 

Paul Finebaum joins the tribe, signaling hush-hush talks about Lincoln Riley leaving

First, it was Pate who casually tossed Riley’s name into the head coaching carousel mix. On the Bussin in the Boys podcast, he said that the USC Trojans head coach will be the next one to swap wagons. While Pate no longer agreed to discuss Riley on air, he did so by building up suspense in the latest episode of the podcast. 

When asked if there was any new intel on Riley and USC, the analyst shot back, “Absolutely. Hit me with the follow-up.” Then Pate leaned in, whispering behind a card, and the reaction was instant, leaving Will Compton and Taylor Lewan wide-eyed and stunned. Trey Wallace, too, dropped his inputs that suggest Riley is already halfway out the door. 

“I mentioned to you guys last week that there was going to be potentially a sitting head coach at a big school that looks around for a new stop. I keep hearing Lincoln Riley, guys. And I am not sitting here, don’t go crazy on social media posts that I am reporting Lincoln Riley to LSU,” said Wallace. 

“One other name, and I’ve been critical of this guy, but he’s done a really good job this year of keeping this program together, and that’s Lincoln Riley,” said Paul Finebaum. Even the ESPN analyst claimed to have picked up hush-hush from reliable sources. Will a CFP spot be enough to keep Riley in the game, or is he plotting a midseason escape?