Paul Finebaum Names Former Pac-12 Powerhouse Not Ready For Big Ten

Several historic college football programs are moving to new conferences this season. Teams such as the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans will no longer be in conferences they used to run.

Oklahoma and Texas are joining the SEC, while USC is joining the Big Ten. The consensus is that USC will face the toughest challenge in its new conference.

The ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) measures a team's strength and is designed to predict a team's future performance for the remainder of the season. According to the FPI, the Trojans are ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten. The FPI predicts a 7-5 season for USC, giving them only a 2.9 percent chance to win the conference this year. For comparison, Oklahoma is projected to go 8-4, with a 5.1 percent chance to win the SEC, while Texas is projected to go 10-2, with a 24.2 percent chance to win its conference.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum expressed his disappointment with the Trojans and doubted their readiness for the Big Ten.

"I'm underwhelmed by USC," Finebaum said. "I don't think USC is ready for the Big Ten."

Finebaum doesn't reveal why he doesn't think USC is ready, but it most likely has to do with head coach Lincoln Riley. Finebaum has been very critical of Riley recently. He called Riley a "one-hit wonder" because he could not get a good defense.

Finebaum has previously stated that Riley's situation at USC is hopeless, suggesting that Riley had lost control and compared it to being stuck in quicksand. Therefore, 2024 could be a crucial year for Riley to change the narrative.

Related: Paul Finebaum Names Top College Football Coach Who's a 'One-Hit Wonder'