00:00But I wanted to ask you about USC because I don't know how you view USC right now and Lincoln
00:06Riley and that whole tenure that he's had.
00:08But USC is 2-0. They blew out Fresno State at home, as they should.
00:12They struggled a little bit in Week 0 against San Jose State defensively.
00:19Now, offensively, they've been really good.
00:20But, John, where do you stand on this USC team?
00:25Because I don't really know.
00:28They haven't given me trust.
00:31They haven't given me confidence over the past three, four years.
00:35Basically, since that first Caleb Williams-Lincoln Riley year, they haven't given me any confidence when they were right on
00:41the cusp of the playoffs.
00:43And since then, it's been a disaster of a Lincoln Riley tenure.
00:46I don't know where you stand on them in the Big Ten.
00:49I think that Lincoln Riley has an obligation to play defense.
00:56I think that's Lincoln Riley's only issue, as far as I'm concerned.
01:00The offense has never been a problem.
01:02He's always had a quarterback.
01:03He's always had offensive weapons.
01:05They've got the number one recruiting class.
01:07They've got young freshmen who are out there contributing right out the gate, which you oftentimes don't really see.
01:12So, in my opinion, I think his only issue is, can they find a coordinator to coach these kids up
01:20on the defensive end?
01:21You don't have to be the number one defense in college football.
01:24Just don't be number 101.
01:26And, I mean, that's really been the Achilles heel, period.
01:31Because there's going to be some games where it just doesn't click, whether it's raining or because you're playing the
01:36Big Ten, snowing, whether frigid temperatures, high winds.
01:40Because you play so far across the country, a lot of things can be thrown into the issue, into the
01:47pot to spoil the soup.
01:48And so, I'm looking forward to this year, but after the first two opponents, I really don't have an opinion.
01:56Because that's what they should have done.
01:58They shouldn't have left the field in any type of way other than, well, that was easy.
02:04As you go through the Big Ten schedule, yes, now we can start talking.
02:09Now we can start looking at what we really need to expect from them.
02:12But as of right now, you know, you won games, you should have won.
02:17Yeah, listen, they should be winning these games, like I said.
02:20They should be beating the San Jose States and the Fresno States of the world.
02:24And, you know, when we get into actual real competition here, when I mean real competition, like, again, those other
02:30two teams are actual Division I teams, right?
02:33I'm not taking it away from them.
02:34But it's not right.
02:35You could make the case that they really are.
02:37But my point is that this is probably, I mean, this is one of the best conferences, if not the
02:42best, in college football.
02:44It's the best, right.
02:45Exactly.
02:45Well, you know, everyone from the South, John, they like to say, well, the SEC is.
02:50Cool.
02:51Who won the last three titles?
02:53Exactly.
02:54Thank you very much.
02:55So now, John, you're going up against the Ohio States of the world, the Indianas of the world, the Oregons,
03:02the Penn State.
03:03Penn State.
03:04We'll see.
03:04But all of these, this cream of the crop, okay, over there in the Big Ten.
03:08And these games, they're warm-ups.
03:11But are they really warming you up for that type of competition?
03:15Because I feel like when USC starts to play these really good teams, and it's coming real soon, actually, because
03:19the conference is so good, I don't know if they'll be that ready.
03:23I don't know if they'll stand up to that physicality and quickness and the athleticism of some of those teams
03:29at the top of the Big Ten.
03:31I just, I don't know.
03:32I have to see it to believe it.
03:34But we watched Michigan almost lose to a team that is pretty much one more direction away from being a
03:40directional school.
03:42We saw another Big Ten team struggle as well.
03:46I can't remember.
03:47I can't remember which one it was.
03:48Oregon almost lost, yeah.
03:51We saw Oregon pretty much have to pull one out, pull a rabbit out of the hat to get their
03:55win, similar to what Michigan did.
03:58And so, as I'm watching the conference, you know, it doesn't look that scary.
04:02Indiana didn't really, you know, they ended up pulling away, but I watched it.
04:06That wasn't impressive.
04:07Like, the thing I can say about USC's two wins, offensively, they were impressive.
04:12Offensively, that looked like a real deal.
04:15These other teams who found ways to win, like, Oregon's offense looked like a hesitant stop and go today.
04:23And so, kind of watching those teams and then watching some of these other teams around the country,
04:27I mean, maybe you need these two games to start the season.
04:31And they kind of, you know, get things in place because there is no preseason.
04:35But at the same time, after what I've seen this weekend, if I'm USC, I'm not afraid of anybody.
04:42Okay.
04:43That's pretty interesting because, John, for me, like, I don't know.
04:46I mean, did Ohio State scare you at what they did?
04:49No.
04:50And scare me?
04:51Michigan either.
04:52I mean, we talked about Michigan, but they really didn't look good at all.
04:56Indiana, same thing.
04:57I think Rutgers lost.
04:59I think Rutgers lost.
05:01Rutgers was actually kind of decent last year, too.
05:03So, yeah, you have a point.
05:04Like, maybe it's just the theory of it more so than the actual, you know, concept of it.
05:10I think that's what it is.
05:11I mean, USC is still going to be really good, I think.
05:14I think they're going to be – this is probably going to be the best Lincoln-Riley year, I think,
05:18really is, besides that first year, obviously.
05:21But, I mean, we'll have to see.
05:22We'll have to see how it turns out because in the Big Ten, anything can happen.
05:25You can have teams that, you know, just come out of nowhere.
