Lincoln Riley is skating on thin ice. If you ask how thin, then Paul Finebaum’s “I would have fired him last year if I didn’t have to eat an $80 million buyout” reply should satisfy your curiosity and tell you that this ain’t the rosy picture he enjoyed at Oklahoma. This is no cakewalk. Already his buyout has climbed to a whopping $90 million—the largest in CFB history. No doubt, it’s high-pressure for him in this make it or break it season. And amid the whole clamor, one analyst might just be rooting for him.

Lincoln was brought to Los Angeles with just one aim: to produce high-caliber teams. For a program with decorated 11 national championship wins, the fandom was hungry to seek past glory. He was a hit with the Sooners, but his record with the Trojans is what’s fueling the friction.

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