Lincoln Riley’s USC tenure is starting to look like it’s headed for the exit ramp.
That’s the reality facing the Trojans after a season that still has them at 6-2, but also includes a jarring 24-7 loss to unranked Wisconsin. The record alone doesn’t look disastrous. The feeling around the program, though, is a lot shakier than that.
Riley arrived in 2022 with huge expectations, a massive contract, and instant momentum. USC had gone 4-8 the year before, then flipped to 11-3 in his first season.
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy, and everything around the program felt electric. Since then, though, the Trojans have been stuck in a more frustrating place, with the fan base waiting for results that haven’t fully arrived.
The latest blow only sharpened the noise. USA Today’s John Brice reported that a breakup could be coming and that “both sides know it.” Riley, now 43, has not taken USC to the College Football Playoff, and the source also notes he almost squashed the program’s rivalry game with Notre Dame.
There’s also the simple problem of where USC is falling short. Riley has not won more than nine games since that 2022 surge, and the source points to a lack of aggression in the transfer portal as part of the issue.
At a program like USC, that matters. Big-time teams win by constantly adding difference-makers.
The financial side is hard to ignore, too. Riley is in the fifth year of a 10-year, $110 million deal, and his reported buyout sits at $70 million.
That’s not a casual decision for a school to make. If USC does move on, boosters and donors would be the ones asked to help absorb that kind of cost.
Athletic director Jennifer Cohen would also have to weigh whether the market offers a clear upgrade and then sell that choice to the people funding the program. The standard at USC is obvious: reach the College Football Playoff. That’s the bar Riley hasn’t cleared.
And while the Trojans figure out what comes next, their cross-town rivals are offering a reminder of what a fresh start can look like. The undefeated, No. 7 UCLA Bruins are getting success from first-year coach Bob Chesney.
If USC does decide to make a change, there are already names being floated. The list includes Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Boise State’s Spencer Danielson, and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
All three have reached a version of the College Football Playoff. For a program under this kind of pressure, that’s the sort of résumé USC would be forced to consider.
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Wisconsins Rotation Is Taking Shape Around One Growing Concern
Wisconsins exhibition slate offered enough to feel encouraged and enough to keep the staff measuring the depth chart with caution. The Badgers finished 3-0, capped by a win over Oklahoma State, and Owen Foxwell looked like the guard most ready to steady things early. He brought efficient scoring and a clear presence in the backcourt, the kind of start that can settle a team while the rest of the rotation sorts itself out.
The bigger question now is what happens in the minutes around him. Other players have flashed, but nobody has yet locked down a dependable scoring role, which leaves the Badgers with a real sense of possibility and a lingering concern as the season approaches. Wisconsin has a workable foundation, but the way those non-Foxwell possessions are filled in may end up shaping how quickly this group finds its rhythm once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Showed Real Promise But One Issue Still Stands Out
The Badgers closed the preseason with a convincing 82-65 win over Oklahoma State, a performance that offered a cleaner snapshot of what this group can be when the offense is clicking. Owen Foxwell led the way with 19 points and three assists, and he was especially sharp from deep, going 3-for-3 from three-point range as Wisconsin shot 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Even with the strong shooting night and a defense that held the Cowboys to 65 points, there was still a familiar issue sitting in the background. Wisconsin turned the ball over 15 times, and while that did not spoil the result in an exhibition setting, it remains the kind of detail that can undercut a promising night once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces Two Iowa Unknowns That Could Decide The Heartland Trophy
Wisconsin heads to Iowa this week with the kind of game that can turn on small details, and the matchup already has a little extra uncertainty baked in. The Badgers, now No. 25, are facing an Iowa team that slipped out of the AP Poll after its loss to Minnesota, but the bigger question is what the Hawkeyes will look like on offense with the quarterback situation still unsettled and Hank Brown set to start.
There is another layer of unpredictability around Iowas backfield, too, with star running back Kamari Moulton out for the season and the workload shifting elsewhere. For Wisconsin, that means preparing for a rivalry game in which the usual scouting report may not hold up for long, and the Heartland Trophy could come down to which side adapts fastest once the ball is kicked off. [Read more 🡒]