USC hired Lincoln Riley to end years of mediocrity. His record at Oklahoma, with three straight playoff trips, made him the perfect fit. His first season in Los Angeles delivered a breakout year and real hope. But since then, the Trojans have not returned to the playoff. Now in his fifth season, patience is fading.

“It’s a really complicated question,” said Bruce Feldman during his July 6 appearance on The Next Round when asked about USC’s situation in 2026. “He’s [Lincoln Riley] been there a while. I mean, you know, you mentioned Cignetti; it didn’t take him very long. Lincoln has made some comments about, you know, he’s talked about USC in a light where it’s not sat well with people who listen to it go, you know, these feel like excuses.”

For fans who paid premium prices to see a playoff team, explanations ring hollow. They remember the hype, the splash hire, and the promise that USC would be back. Now, every press conference feels like a reason instead of a result.

In Bloomington, Cignetti needed two seasons to deliver a national trophy. In Los Angeles, Riley has had five years and still no playoff return. The contrast is not just about schemes. It is about expectations met versus promises unfulfilled, since Riley was offered a $110 million deal.

“But right now, most of the USC fans are checked out on Lincoln Riley,” said Feldman. “And I think they know that the AD, Jen Cohen, she did not hire him. She has brought in Chad Bowden, who’s a GM for the football program from Notre Dame a year and a half ago, who basically makes a lot of decisions that typically the head football coach does. It’s a really weird dynamic there.”

After leading USC to an 11-3 (overall) season in his debut year, his production saw a huge drop. Last season, USC finished with a 9-4 record, but the expectation for which he was brought in was not met. For 2026, the plot is set with a No. 1 recruiting class and the return of QB Jayden Maiava. USC even hired a strong force at DC, Gary Patterson. Despite these advantages, concerns linger, since the 2026 schedule is brutal compared to 2025.

If Riley cannot lead USC to the playoff in 2026, he risks losing not only fan trust but also job security. That is where the reported $90 million buyout becomes a problem. If USC moves on, it faces a massive hit. If it stays the course, it risks more seasons of fading trust.

“I don’t know if they have the money, people who are ready to step up because the buyout is so big. The old regime of leadership that USC had, they were so desperate for the splash hire that they gave Lincoln Riley a deal that was kind of outrageous in terms of, like, they were stuck with it, better or worse,” said the analyst.

But when a coach loses fans’ trust, staying with the program becomes difficult. Riley took the USC job for money, but without fans’ trust, can he win?