It’s Malpractice to Think USC’s Riley Should be on the Hot Seat

USC head coach Lincoln Riley has the Trojans at 6-1, and they are on a two-game winning streak.  Riley has a 41-19 record at USC.

In a story by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Feldman listed coaches whose seats were “hot.” Riley was on his list.

Come on, Bruce!

Riley is a man who has won 68 percent of his games at USC. That is better than former USC head coaches Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, and Clay Helton.

Under Riley, the Trojans are playing well enough, despite a loss to Oregon, to keep a Big Ten title within their grasp.

What will cement their conference title and playoff aspirations, and keep Riley in the good graces of anakysts and keep USC relevant?

First, The Trojans will travel to Wisconsin on Saturday, which will be tough environment. That is a winnable game.

Then, Riley needs to coach the games of his career and win 2-3 of the matchups against the ranked opponents left on their schedule.

Of the five teams left on the schedule, three are currently residing in the top ten of the AP Top 25 poll.

In two weeks, USC will host No. 3 Ohio State. That matchup is now more of a winnable game for the Trojans, now that quarterback Julian Sayin is injured and out for several weeks.

Then the Trojans will take another bye week before they travel to take on No. 6 Indiana. The Hoosiers lost to Ohio State last Saturday.

That was Indiana’s first loss since losing to Notre Dame in the playoffs in 2024.

USC will close out the regular season with their annual meeting with No. 9 UCLA.

Bob Chesney, a Curt Cignetti protégé, has the Bruins undefeated and playing their best football since their 9-4 season of 2022. UCLA is the home team in this one at the Rose Bowl.

Feldman thinks USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has “struggled mightily.” Actually, the Trojans are ranked No. 32 in the FBS in rushing defense at 111 yards per game.

USC held Penn State on the road to less than 100 yards rushing and just under two yards per carry.

The Trojans are ranked No. 24 nationally in opponents’ third downs conversions at 32 percent. This is very respectable. 

During their two-game winning streak, USC held Washington and Penn State to eight percent and 16 percent, respectively.

Further, the right combination of veterans and true freshmen has worked amazingly for the Trojans defense over the first seven weeks.

Rumors around the water cooler abound that those close to program are not sure that Riley is right coach to lead USC to the promised land.

Ok. Say for arguments’ sake that the university agrees to fire Riley. They will owe him in the neighborhood of a $70 million buyout.

However, if you wait a year, and USC wins a Big Ten title and a berth in the CFP, does that earn Riley some respect and a pass?

Yes, it does.

The path to a championship has a couple of hurdles, but it is navigable.

And the way that Riley has his team playing through seven weeks, they are talented enough to clear those hurdles.

To say that Riley’s coaching seat is hot is simply wrong.