USC’s second loss in a make-or-break 12 months for Lincoln Riley has knocked the Trojans from the Associated Press rankings and put them on the cusp of being out of the working for the College Football Playoff.
It also sparked hypothesis about Riley’s match at a place where he wasn’t employed by athletic director Jen Cohen as nicely as his potential need to go somewhere else that might supply an simpler path to the CFP.
Riley’s rebuttal?
He’s precisely where he needs to be.
Southern California head coach Lincoln Riley seems toward the discipline during an NCAA faculty soccer recreation against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Madison, Wis. AP Photo/Ross Harried
“Listen, if I didn’t wanna be at this place, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place,” Riley, who is still searching for his first CFP look in his fifth season at USC, said Tuesday night. “If I didn’t wanna be at this place, I’ve had a lot of alternatives to go away.
“This is where I wanna be. This is the right place for me. I’m the right person to be here. And that’s just as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.”
Criticism has mounted since the Trojans (6-2 general, 3-2 Big Ten) were mauled by Wisconsin last weekend, getting bodily manhandled during a 24-7 setback in which they produced the worst offensive efficiency in Riley’s decade as a head coach.
Wisconsin working back Bryan Jackson II (21) scores a landing while defended by Southern California security Christian Pierce (6) during an NCAA faculty soccer recreation, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Madison, Wis. AP Photo/Ross Harried
Facing No. 2 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday at the Coliseum could deepen the discontent or present a main plot twist for a coach in want of salvation.
Riley deflected to the recreation against the Buckeyes when requested why he was still the proper coach for USC.
“We got a huge home game coming up here in the Coliseum,” Riley said, “and if my focus is anywhere outside of that, then it’s in the wrong place.”
As far as his alignment with Cohen and the relaxation of the USC administration, Riley advised there were no points.
Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Bryce West (5), outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks (15) and linebacker Cooper Catalano (44) deal with USC Trojans working back King Miller (8) for a loss just outside the finish zone during the second quarter of an NCAA faculty soccer recreation at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Fantastic relationship,” Riley said of working with Cohen, who began at USC before Riley’s second season. “She’s been a huge part of all the progress that we’ve made and has been incredibly supportive. So we’ve got an incredible working relationship.”
What about all the chatter connecting the Texas native to other job openings, including at Baylor?
“I love it here,” Riley said. “I mean, like I told you guys, a lot of times, there’s not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up [at Oklahoma] to come here. I don’t care if it’s 15 years down the line, that never should be taken lightly – it’s certainly not taken lightly by me. So I came here because this is where I wanted to be, I came here because I believe in this place and none of that has changed whatsoever.”
Asked about mounting strain, Riley said he goes into every season with championship expectations, mentioning the fallout from his first loss at Oklahoma in 2017.
“I didn’t even think I was gonna be able to get out of bed the next morning,” Riley said. “But on high of that, there were individuals who wished to run me out of city straight away. And I discovered a lesson fairly fast, that the highs and lows of this factor in my place, if you let these get to you, then you’re the incorrect particular person for the job.
“By the end of the year, we went on a run and everybody was saying all this and that, which was making me look way better than I certainly was at the time by any stretch. But that was kind of my christening, right, as a head coach and a head coach of a blue-blood school. And when you’re the head coach of a blue-blood school, you have to be ready to weather the storms, the overly positive or the overly negative.”
The newest storm has been the latter form, though his gamers seem to be sticking by him.
“I believe there’s not a better leader in the country,” offensive lineman Elijah Paige said. “I love going to work with coach Riley and I believe that everybody in the locker room and this total constructing feels the same factor.
“There’s nobody in the world who wants USC to win more than coach Riley, and I think he shows that day in and day out with the confidence he instills in us.”
Of course, unless the trajectory of the Trojans’ season adjustments, Riley’s future may not be fully in the palms of the coach and his gamers.
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