USC returns to the Coliseum on Saturday evening needing a reset, and the opponent arriving with Ohio State is bringing a head coach who knows a thing or two about climbing fast. After last week’s ugly loss at Wisconsin, the Trojans are in search of a win that can steady the season.
This one also puts Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day on the same sideline line of scrutiny for the first time as head coaches. Their paths look strikingly similar on paper: both offensive minds, both handed premier jobs before turning 40, and both elevated after the retirements of college football giants.
Riley got the keys to Oklahoma after Bob Stoops stepped away in 2017. Two years later, Day took over at Ohio State when Urban Meyer retired.
In their first five seasons leading programs, each coach stacked up conference titles, reached the College Football Playoff three times, and helped produce a string of standout quarterbacks. The missing piece for both was the same: a national championship.
But the trajectories have split since then. Riley’s run at USC has gone sideways, with a 24-17 mark over his last 41 games and plenty of heat building around him.
Day’s story has gone the other way entirely. He finally broke through with a title in 2024, and he still has never finished a season with more than two losses as a head coach.
Saturday’s matchup, then, is more than just USC vs. Ohio State.
It’s a collision of two coaching resumes that began in almost the same place and arrived at very different destinations. Riley will be trying to buy himself more time at USC, while Day aims to keep Ohio State on course for the College Football Playoff for the sixth time in eight years.
In Other News...
Kalen DeBoer Just Landed In An Alabama Scenario Fans Will Hate
Lincoln Rileys tenure at USC has already brought high expectations, and the conversation around his future is never far from the surface in Los Angeles. He has yet to deliver a national championship or a College Football Playoff appearance, which keeps the pressure on and makes every major coaching rumor around the Trojans feel a little more combustible than it might elsewhere.
Kalen DeBoer has now been pulled into that picture as a reported top target if USC ever decides to make a change, which is exactly the kind of speculation Alabama fans were hoping to avoid. The complication is obvious: DeBoer recently signed a long-term contract with the Crimson Tide, so any pursuit would have to clear a major hurdle before it could become anything more than a name to watch. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces A Bigger Concern Than Just Beating Ohio State
USCs meeting with Ohio State on Saturday evening already has the feel of a measuring-stick game, but the stakes go beyond a simple early-season marquee matchup. CBS Sports analyst Tom Fornelli recently previewed the game and zeroed in on how the Buckeyes are likely to approach it, while also highlighting the Trojans recent issues on both sides of the ball. With kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on NBC, it is the kind of stage where every weakness gets magnified.
For Lincoln Rileys group, the challenge is not just finding a way to hang with Ohio State for four quarters. The broader concern is whether USC can show enough consistency on offense and enough resistance on defense to avoid letting the game get away from it early. Against a program that will arrive with a clear plan, the Trojans need more than a good home atmosphere, and this matchup could tell a lot about where they really stand. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Ohio State Stage Could Swing Two Huge Recruiting Battles
USCs Halloween matchup with Ohio State is shaping up to be more than a marquee game on the field. The Trojans are set to bring in a slate of high-profile recruiting visitors for the 2026 date, with wide receiver prospects Grant Mosley and Jayce Halasz, along with cornerback CaRon Williams, all expected in Los Angeles for the atmosphere and the chance to see how Lincoln Rileys program presents itself on a big stage.
The visit list matters because USC is already viewed as the favorite for Mosley, while Halasz remains a tougher fight with Oregon and Alabama in the mix. Mosleys profile and playing style have made him a priority, and the Trojans staff has been working to turn that interest into momentum, using the game weekend as a chance to show off both the programs upside and the kind of attention top recruits can expect in Southern California. [Read more 🡒]