USC president Beong-Soo Kim isn’t interested in feeding the speculation swirling around Lincoln Riley’s future.
With the No. 19 Trojans drawing plenty of outside noise after their home loss to Oregon, Kim made it clear in an interview with Los Angeles Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem that his attention is elsewhere. USC’s president, who has been leading the university since 2025 and held his official investiture on Friday, Oct. 16, said the program’s focus remains on the season in front of it.
"We are laser focused on the next game, and then the game after that. And really having the best possible season that we can have in football. And I think there's a lot of noise out there, and part of my responsibility and job as president is sometimes to try to block out the noise and focus on what we can control and what really matters," said Kim.
Kim pointed to USC’s current standing in the season, noting the team has only one loss and just picked up a road win at Penn State.
"In football, we have one loss, and we just had a terrific win on the road at Penn State, and we're going to continue to get things done for the rest of the season. And then we'll see what happens," the USC president continued.
When Kaleem pressed him on whether USC’s finances are a concern if the school ever chose to pay Riley’s buyout, Kim shut that down as well.
"That's right, we're not thinking about that. We're focused on winning," said Kim.
USC is in a bye week now after beating the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road yesterday, and the Trojans will head back out next to face the Wisconsin Badgers.
The schedule ahead is still loaded with major hurdles for Riley’s team. No.
4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana are still waiting on the slate, and No.
11 UCLA has also climbed into the national rankings after opening the season undefeated under new head coach Bob Chesney.
FanDuel Sportsbook lists USC with the sixth-best odds to win the Big Ten Championship at +3000, behind Wisconsin, UCLA, Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State. In FanDuel’s College Football Playoff odds, 22 teams are given better chances than the Trojans.
If USC is going to have a real path to the CFP, it likely needs to win two of the games against Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA. Even then, the question of Riley’s job security would keep hovering in the background. For now, though, Kim’s message was plain: that decision can wait.
In Other News...
USCs Midseason TV Numbers Say A Lot About This Team
USCs first half of the season has played out under an unusually bright national spotlight, and the Nielsen numbers help explain why. The Trojans have already been part of a handful of heavily watched games, including a Pac-12 rivalry matchup on NBC that drew the biggest audience of the group. Along the way, the TV ratings have mirrored the bigger storyline around this team: when USC is involved, people tend to tune in, whether it is for the brand, the stakes, or the chance to see how the Trojans handle a big-stage opponent.
The midseason viewership snapshot also offers a reminder of how often USC has been in games that carried real national interest, with key performances and defining moments helping drive those audiences. It is the kind of exposure that comes with being one of college footballs most recognizable programs, and it will only matter more as the schedule moves deeper into the year. The broader ratings picture is still taking shape, with more games ahead and other programs, including Wisconsin, showing their own audience draws in the same tracking. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Bye Week Could Still Bring A Rankings Boost
USCs week 7 bye comes at a good time, even after the Trojans already grabbed a major win over Penn State. At No. 19, they are still sitting in the part of the rankings where every result around them matters, and this weekend offers a chance for movement without USC having to take the field. The ripple effects could start quickly, with several teams above and near the Trojans carrying uncertainty into the next round of games.
Texas, Florida, UCLA, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Missouri all have situations worth watching, and a few quarterback injuries could end up shaping the bracket of the poll more than anyone expected. If some of those teams stumble, USC could climb simply by holding steady during the bye, which makes this one of those quiet weeks that could still matter a lot in November-style ranking math. [Read more 🡒]
USC Bye Week Could Change Everything For Lincoln Rileys Playoff Push
The first bye week of the season comes at a useful time for USC, which has been managing a growing list of bumps and bruises while trying to keep its playoff hopes alive. Tight end Mark Bowman has missed recent games because of an undisclosed injury, and defensive linemen Jide Abasiri and Jahkeem Stewart have also been slowed by leg and foot injuries, leaving the Trojans with a chance to get healthier before the next stretch of the schedule.
USC comes out of the break with a tricky road trip to Wisconsin on Oct. 24 at Camp Randall Stadium, and that makes this pause feel especially important. For Lincoln Riley, the week away from game prep is more than a breather - it is an opportunity to reset bodies, clean up the roster and see whether some key depth pieces can be closer to full strength when the Trojans return to action. [Read more 🡒]