Colin Cowherd Thinks Big Ten Team Should Move on From Head Coach

Colin Cowherd admitted that he was wrong about one head coach in the Big Ten.

On The Herd, the FOX Sports host weighed in on USC head coach Lincoln Riley after his team lost to Wisconsin on Saturday. Cowherd thought Riley would have success in Los Angeles, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

“I thought Steve Sarkisian was going to work at USC. I thought Lane Kiffin was going to work at USC. I thought Lincoln Riley was going to work at USC. None have,” Cowherd said on Monday's show. “Losing to Wisconsin, a solid, not spectacular team, and scoring seven points is bad.”

USC is currently 6-2 with losses to Wisconsin and Oregon. The Trojans are on the verge of missing the College Football Playoff, and Riley has not led USC to the playoffs since becoming head coach in 2022. Cowherd explained why he thinks Riley hasn't gotten USC to the next level.

Colin Cowherd Reveals Biggest Issue With USC, Lincoln Riley

"Lincoln, his primary issue. It’s not complicated," he said. "Soft doesn’t travel, and this team has scored 42 points since Lincoln arrived, when they play at home. It is warm and comfortable. There’s a cool LA vibe at home. They’ve been pretty damn good, but on the road, soft doesn’t travel, and Wisconsin was another example. When they get in a crisis, they get bullied; they get pushed around."

Cowherd later added, "It’s not getting better, and I do think it gets amplified when the guy at UCLA, who by the way looks like he should be in movies in Hollywood, comes in, tough team, run the ball, real physical with some limitations offensively. USC has got a No. 1 class. You can’t go to Wisconsin and say, ‘Well, we can’t run on Wisconsin.’ That’s not acceptable. That’s not the answer ever.”

Riley joined USC after a successful run at Oklahoma. From 2017-21, Riley led the Sooners to four Big 12 championships and three College Football Playoff appearances.