Lincoln Riley and the Big Ten Whine Tour

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports | By Jay Berry | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 5:22 PM ET

No. 21 USC (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) just can’t catch a break—or maybe they can’t catch the travel bug. The Trojans are acting like the Big Ten’s favorite carry-on, lugged around in a suitcase full of excuses: time zones, cross-country flights, “jet lag,” you name it. If complaining were a sport, they’d be national champions.

Let’s roast them a bit. USC joined the Big Ten, but somewhere along the line, they picked up the Big Ten Bag—that is to say, they became the conference’s traveling luggage, transporting its brand but also hauling around complaints like extra baggage fees. Every week they’re whining about east coast kickoffs, midnight flights or early departure times.

“Oh, we flew across the country, it hurt our performance”—how novel. The rest of the league doesn’t see a private jet, hey see a team allergic to adjusting clocks.

USC’s Mediocre Slide

The same time-zone fears follow them everywhere: flights that cross three zones, games that kick off in unfamiliar daylight and complaints about “having to wake up earlier” as if nobody else plays away games. Meanwhile, their opponents adjust because that’s part of the job. USC acts like they’re too cool for a normal schedule.

They’ll never stop reminding you of the miles flown—as though distance is a magic bullet excuse for poor execution. Bad snap? It’s the time zone. Missed tackle? You guessed it: jet lag.

That narrative becomes its own shield: “You can’t judge us without factoring in the travel.” Let me be clear—you can. Because good teams win despite conditions. Even mid-tier ones show up. So USC, enjoy your Big Ten Bag status. Continue to moan about travel and time zones. It’s the soundtrack of a team that more often settles for excuses than championships. Lincoln Riley needs to focus on the on field performance instead of crying about the schedule. He has become an overpriced crybaby.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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