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It’s no secret that many eyes in the college football world are on Lincoln Riley, entering his third season at the helm of USC’s program. Last week, On3’s Ari Wasserman ranked division I coaches facing the most pressure this season. Riley came in at No. 4 overall, the highest ranking of any Big Ten coach.
Monday, Cleveland.com’s Stephen Means released the outlet’s 15th annual Preseason Big Ten Football Rankings, compiled from the results of 24 voters.
Riley’s Trojans are projected to finish No. 9 in the Big Ten, behind Nebraska and ahead of Washington. On average, USC’s ranking from voters was 8.24 and they received 269 points.
Last season, Riley led USC to a very average finish in the team’s first Big Ten year, going 7-6 (4-5). They went 1-5 in one-score games. Those performances brought them down, but offer a lot of room for improvement come fall.
The Trojans’ 2025 schedule is doable, especially considering they won’t face conference powers Ohio State and Penn State. USC will face difficulties on the road against Notre Dame and Oregon, as well as a tough home matchup with Michigan.
However, the pressure is still very much on for Riley, whose performance has worsened steadily since arriving in Los Angeles.
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“We also asked voters to state which Big Ten coach should be on the hot seat heading into 2025,” Means wrote. “Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell got 11 votes while Maryland’s Mike Locksley and USC’s Lincoln Riley got six votes.”
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Publish date : 2025-07-21 20:25:00
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