Fox's Joel Klatt claps back at Lincoln Riley haters, explains how USC is college football playoff sleeper

To say USC and Lincoln Riley are under a microscope this season is an understatement. Some analysts, like ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, have been very vocal on their predictions of Riley’s demise. But Fox Sports analysts Joel Klatt has a different take. He believes the Trojans could be a playoff sleeper.

Speaking with Colin Cowherd on on FS1, Klatt said,  “I think that USC could be a sleeper team. I think it all hinges on that game with LSU, to be honest, in Vegas. That game is so important for Lincoln Riley because right now it seems like with the USC faithful, there’s a bit of a wait and see. Let’s see how he’s going to do without Caleb Williams.”

Klatt says there’s quiet confidence within the USC athletic department. “From within the program, I know there is a sentiment that they feel like they can get back to basics, get back to fundamentals. And maybe not be better at the quarterback position, but certainly be more predictable at the quarterback position.”

Klatt thinks the new USC QB might be a better fit in the system than Williams was, “I think Miller Moss will give them that ability. He’s a really smart player. And he’s more in line with what Lincoln Riley won with at Oklahoma. Particularly with Baker Mayfield. So to think this team is going to take a step back offensively would be naive. They will not. Lincoln Riley will not take a step back offensively.”

Most of the questions nationally focus on USC’s defense. Klatt agrees, but is more optimistic, “The question for me is more about the defensive side. They were abysmal last year and a terrible defense. Now, D’Anton Lynn comes over from UCLA. And by all accounts I think this is a great hire. They don’t have to be great. They don’t really even have to be good. They just have to be better than what they were.”

The schedule actually favors the Trojans. They don’t play Ohio State or Oregon, picked by most to be the top two teams in the Big Ten.

The key for Klatt is the LSU game on Sept. 1, “This is certainly a team that, if they were to beat LSU, could be sitting there in November, with the schedule they have in front of them, competing for a playoff spot. I don’t think that’s out of the question.”