Lincoln Riley has lived with loud opinions about his job since he took over at USC in 2022. This season, the volume went up after a home loss to Oregon, and now a Hall of Fame coach has weighed in on whether the Trojans should change how Riley works.
“If there are concerns, this is the conversation that should happen after the season…,” Urban Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast. “And I’m not saying if they want to make Lincoln Riley give up play-calling duties, then you say, ‘Hey, Coach, either you do this, or you’re fired. I am gonna fire your a**,’ if that’s what they say.”
Meyer’s message was about timing. In his view, any talk about Riley’s role belongs in the offseason, not in the middle of a season, and it should never become an ultimatum. That matters because USC sits at 6-1 with a bye week, and the noise around the program has not gone away.
Riley signed a 10-year deal worth about $110 million in 2022 and is reported to earn $11.5 million in 2026, the sixth most among college football head coaches. The estimated buyout is $70 million if the program decides to fire Riley. The reported buyout applies to firing Riley, not to any potential decision involving his offensive duties.
The pressure was felt on September 27 when USC came into that game 4-0, then lost 41-27 to Oregon at the Coliseum. The Trojans tied it at 27 early in the fourth quarter, but Oregon scored two more touchdowns.
The Ducks did it without starting quarterback Dante Moore, who left with a concussion in the second quarter. Backup Dylan Raiola threw for 289 yards and two scores. The loss dropped Riley to 0-3 against Oregon coach Dan Lanning.
“There’s a lot of things to be proud of with this football program right now,” said Riley, staying upbeat afterward in the postgame presser. “You can’t let that affect on how you work on a day-to-day basis.”
Earlier in October, Meyer also looked at the bigger picture and called USC an “injured animal” in Los Angeles and said struggling programs in talent-rich states are easy targets for recruiters. He remembered putting four coaches in Texas while the Longhorns were down, and Ohio State landed the state’s three best players in one year. He did the same in Georgia before Kirby Smart took over.
USC answered on October 10 with a 31-23 win at Penn State, in front of a reported 114,419 fans at Beaver Stadium. Jayden Maiava threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Trent Mosley caught nine passes for 111 yards and a score in his return from injury, and King Miller ran for 102 yards.
USC kept its offense on the field on fourth-and-four at its own 13, and Penn State coach Matt Campbell used his final timeout with 4:15 left. USC then punted, and Penn State fumbled on the first snap of its next drive, with USC recovering. Riley also opened the second half with an onside kick. Penn State recovered it, but USC’s defense held it to a field goal.
“Nobody in the world gave them a chance to win this game, and we did it our way,” Riley said.
Attendance has added to the chatter. Riley called the focus on empty seats a “false narrative.”
For now, the No. 19 Trojans are on a bye week. Wisconsin is next on October 24, and Ohio State is still on the schedule. Meyer says the sit-down about Riley’s future can wait until the season ends. Whether the noise lets it wait is another matter.