USC in trouble with the NCAA again
By Max Weisman
The NCAA has placed the USC Trojans on probation for violation of rules between 2022 and 2023. The NCAA released a statement on Tuesday, saying USC "exceeded the allowable number of coaches...when eight analysts for the football program engaged in on-and off-field coaching activities during spring 2022, fall 2022 and spring 2023, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years."
The school was fined $50,000. The NCAA added that head coach Lincoln Riley violated head coaching responsibility rules, but determined a suspension would not be appropriate because some of the violations occurred before a rules change in January 2023 that shifted head coach responsibility rules. Riley will be able to continue coaching the Trojans.
News: USC violated NCAA rules by having eight football analysts engage in on- and off-field coaching activities in 2022 and spring 2023. The USC football program will be on probation for a year + pay a $50,000 fine.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 12, 2024
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The full list of penalties for USC includes one year of probation, a $50,000 fine, a restriction on the special teams analyst from practices and film reviews for six days during two weeks of the current season and a restriction on the remaining analysts from practices and film reviews for six days during four weeks of the current season.
This distraction is not what USC needed. The Trojans are 4-5 and only 2-5 in conference play after beginning the year 3-1. They need to win two of their final three games against Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame to become bowl-eligible. If they don't it will be the first time under Lincoln Riley that USC fails to make a bowl game. Riley is 23-13 in his tenure in Los Angeles.
The violations contribute to an increased feeling of uneasiness around Lincoln Riley. The USC head coach has led the Trojans to fewer wins each year, and while a generational talent by the name of Caleb Williams left after last season for the NFL, Riley is a good enough coach to be able to overcome that adversity. If the Trojans fail to make a bowl game this year, rumblings may start about him losing his job.
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