Lincoln Riley says the tense postgame run-in with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork was little more than emotions spilling over after USC’s 30-18 win over the Buckeyes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The exchange, which was captured in multiple viral videos on social media, came as Riley tried to get his family off the field and down the tunnel. According to the footage, they were held up while a number of Ohio State personnel cleared out. As Bjork passed by, he appeared to say something to Riley, and the USC coach snapped back.
The back-and-forth continued for a few moments as the two moved toward the tunnel, before staff members stepped in.
Asked about it during his Tuesday night press conference, Riley brushed it off as a postgame flare-up and said the matter was handled quickly.
"Not an issue," Riley said. "Just typical emotions after the game.
We squashed it on the way up the tunnel. Ross is a good guy and a really good AD.
Just really a non-issue. "
Riley did not say what started the argument.
The timing of the confrontation made sense given the night he’d just had. USC’s win over then-No.
2 Ohio State was the biggest of Riley’s tenure with the Trojans, and it may end up being a defining moment for the season. After a week of questions about his job security, the result had to feel like a major release.
USC now heads to Bloomington to play Indiana next weekend after an open date, and the Trojans will be hoping the next postgame exit is a lot less chaotic.
In Other News...
Ohio States CFP Ranking Just Reignited A Frustrating Committee Debate
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 immediately stirred up the same old arguments, with Miami opening at No. 1 and Georgia, Utah, Indiana and Alabama filling out the top five. For Ohio State fans watching the board, the early reveal was a reminder that the committee is once again leaning into a rsum-versus-results debate that never seems to go away, especially when teams with head-to-head advantages are separated or an unbeaten team like UCLA gets pushed behind squads with losses.
Utahs No. 3 spot drew plenty of attention, too, since the Utes have only one ranked win, and committee chair Hunter Yurachek spent part of the explanation cycle defending how the group compares teams across conferences and record profiles. For a Buckeyes audience, the bigger issue is familiar: if the opening rankings already feel inconsistent, the next few weeks are likely to bring even more scrutiny to every movement, every comparison and every decision the committee makes. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Still Has Two Big Lineup Questions Before Oregon
Ohio State came out of its trip to USC with two injury concerns hanging over the week ahead, and both sit in spots that matter a lot for what comes next. Defensive tackle Eddrick Houston and left tackle Ian Moore were hurt in the game, and Ryan Days latest update at least offered some clarity on one front, with Houston expected back soon as the Buckeyes turn their attention to Oregon.
Moore is the bigger unknown, and his status still depends on how he progresses in the days leading up to the matchup. For a team already working through the usual midseason grind, the left tackle spot is one of the most important places to have uncertainty, especially with Oregon on deck and Day continuing to balance injury management, staff decisions, and game prep all at once. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Legit CFP Ranking Complaint After First Bracket
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season immediately stirred the usual arguments, with Alabama landing in the top five and Notre Dame showing up lower than in the AP poll. The committees opening bracket also reopened the familiar debate over how much weight should be given to strength of schedule, especially when the rankings seem to diverge from what voters and fans have already been seeing all fall.
For Ohio State, though, the bigger issue was more specific. Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said the Buckeyes head-to-head win over Indiana was not part of the discussion when the rankings were set, a detail that is hard to ignore for a team trying to measure itself against the rest of the playoff field. In a race where every comparison matters, leaving out a direct result is the kind of thing that can leave a program wondering what exactly the committee values most. [Read more 🡒]