Nick Geddes
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Newly hired USC head coach Lincoln Riley wants to make the Trojans the mecca of college football. It’s safe to say the Outkick the Tailgate crew doesn’t believe he will.
OutKick’s Chad Withrow said USC will never become the mecca of college football, as that distinction belongs to the SEC.
“That is absolute fiction. It is Los Angeles, California. There’s a lot more to do there than college football,” Withrow said. “That is never going to be a mecca of college football type place. I think Lincoln Riley is the perfect hire for USC, I think it’s going to pay immediate dividends, I think they’re going to be a national player year in and year out… but circle the best team in the SEC, that is your mecca of college football.”
While OutKick’s Jonathan Hutton thinks Riley is a great coach, being in the Pac-12 means Riley will never be at the top, Hutton said.
“We’re sitting in the mecca of college football right now, the SEC Championship Game and we’re watching the two coaches that are on top of college football right now,” Hutton said. “That’s what he’s competing with. Lincoln Riley didn’t have Oklahoma on top of college football, so I can’t sit here and anoint him at the mecca at USC just because he’s hired.
“He’s a great coach, he’s a young coach and he’s going to do great things… but is he going to beat Nick Saban and Kirby Smart and be SEC Champion? No.”
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You are probably correct. HOWEVER … Bryce Young “the best player in college football right now” – as proven yesterday – came from 25 miles from Riley’s new office at USC. Mater Dei High School in LA. So it’s not like he won’t have easy access to top talent.
There is a lot of talent in California that Riley will get to stay home. Many of those kids have been leaving the last few years. There is no program of any significance out west that he will have to compete with so USC should be in the national title hunt every year.