College Football Mailbag: Heat Intensifies On LSU’s Brian Kelly, USC’s Lincoln Riley, SEC’s Officiating

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We are officially coming down the home stretch of the 2024 college football regular season, and business has certainly picked up. Whether that’s fans losing their minds over penalties, playoff standings, coaches under-performing or a path to the national championship, there are gripes and concerns everywhere. 

The upcoming weekend is going to be headlined by Indiana traveling to Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown with major ramifications. While this game is occurring, Ole Miss will look to avoid a massive upset against Florida, which would derail the Rebels’ college football playoff hopes. 

Just as we’ve seen in recent weeks, there will be chaos on Saturday. I’m just waiting to see where it actually happens. 

Besides that, I was flooded with messages this week about the 2024 season, in-game penalties, Lincoln Riley’s tenure at USC, Brian Kelly at LSU, and whether it’s time for Mark Stoops to find another place of employment. 

OK, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag. Remember, you can send your thoughts during the week, and I’ll get back to you. So, hit me up at Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com and let me know what’s on your mind. 

Hey Trey, can you please explain to me how the officiating crew could call the substitution penalty on Tennessee during the game this past weekend? I am still confused. Thanks.

—Antwan, Columbus, Ga.

Ok, I’ve been getting bombarded with questions concerning the 12-man penalty called on Tennessee during the Georgia game. If you go back and watch the replay, you can see the official get back over the ball around the :20 mark on the play clock. Tennessee had two subs come into the game from the sideline, one of them being Bryson Eason. Every team tries to slow things down when they make a substitution like that, hoping to either take some life out of the opposing offense, or give their guys a few seconds breather. 

I tried to explain it here, as I was working right behind Heupel and the official. 

In this case, when Bryson Eason made his way onto the field, the play clock was already ticking down. The officials, according to Kirby Smart, give you the 3-second grace period to start the process, but there is no exact timeframe you have to be off the field. The referees will just call a penalty on you, if you’re loafing, trying to force the opposing team to call a timeout. In this case, the Tennessee defender did not get off the field in time, and the play-clock was at 5 seconds, meaning Carson Beck had to snap it, which is why the official got off the ball. 

It’s called differently in every conference, according to Kirby Smart. 

Is Lincoln Riley going to make it past 2025 at USC? This has not been what I expected from the team when he was hired and I’m tired of wasting money on season tickets for this sh-t. 

—Oliver, Los Angeles 

The love-fest is over for Lincoln Riley at USC, and now it’s time to start contending for a Big Ten title. This season has once again been a disaster, and his quarterback room hasn’t helped, which is on him. There are a ton of problems within that football program that need to be resolved, especially on the offensive side. The Trojans lost to Washington, but then followed it up with a win over Nebraska. There is no consistency for this team. 

I totally understand where the fans are coming from, as 5-5 on the season is not where USC should be, and he better figure it out quick. He came from Oklahoma with high expectations, but that has not been the case, even with Caleb Williams at quarterback, while his defense was atrocious. If he keeps this up, and they put up another pedestrian record next season, it’s going to get dicey in LA. 

How much longer are LSU boosters going to sit through this Brian Kelly mess before they put their foot down? Two years? Three years?

—Timothy, Slidell, La. 

Whew, this has been painful to watch for you all. LSU losing three-straight games was not on my radar this season, and the losses have been brutal. Getting destroyed by Alabama is one thing, but losing at Florida is a whole different animal, I don’t care what type of rivalry game it is. The fact is that the offense has been slacking, and Brian Kelly has made some very interesting decisions when it comes to how he wants his team to play defense. 

Here’s a good piece from my colleague Barrett Sallee. 

I can promise you that there are money-folks in Baton Rouge who are not happy, at all. To not be in the playoff conversation once again is a tough pill to swallow, and it’s not going to get easier for Kelly. He knows the wolves are howling outside the facility right now, and I know he’s trying to right this ship. But, he was hired to contend for championships every season, and that back-half of 2024 has been rough. 

They have a QB coming in (Bryce Underwood) that could change some things for this offense, but that’s going to take time for the young man. The problem I see right now is that the defense looks like it doesn’t know half the plays, and they’re getting destroyed by dual-threat quarterbacks. The temperature is rising in Baton Rouge, and it’s time to get this thing back on track, by LSU standards. 

I don’t know what your sources are telling you, but this is getting old with Kentucky football. Is it time for Mark Stoops to just move on to another challenge? 

—Bill, Paducah, Ky.

Yea, I saw the crowd this past weekend for Kentucky’s matchup against Murray State. Look, we know that Kentucky fans are now focused on basketball, with the football season being a total wash. In my opinion, the best thing for the Wildcats would be for Mark Stoops to be offered another job in the off-season, and you guys get to hit the reset button. I think it would be good for Stoops to get out of Lexington, and recharge the batteries somewhere else. 

But, Kentucky is not paying that massive buyout, and if he wants to stick around, then that’s Stoops decision right now. Going on the road to Texas this weekend might not be a pretty sight if the Longhorns offense is clicking. It’s going to be a long off-season for the football fans, but at least you guys have Mark Pope running the basketball program. 

As for football, I think the new playoff format helps a team like Kentucky. But you have to be in the conversation first, and they are getting passed by South Carolina, Missouri, and maybe even Vanderbilt, at least this season. 

Alright, that’s going to do it for this week’s mailbag. Make sure to send me all your questions and thoughts during the week to Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com and I will get back to you.