USC is still trying to get itself together heading into Lincoln Riley’s 4th season in charge

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lincoln Riley always speaks glowingly of the future at Southern California, with extraordinary recruiting classes and a lavish training complex on the way to lift the Trojans back to their customary perch atop college football.

Sure, the future could be great. But Trojans fans really wish Riley had done something to make the present more attractive after two mediocre seasons under their high-priced coach.

USC is not ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time since 2019, reflecting the college football world’s skepticism about the state of Riley’s project in its fourth year. It’s still unclear whether Riley and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn can translate USC’s vaunted brand, bountiful resources and roster talent into wins.

“Seeing how our roster has evolved on all sides, especially defensively after the huge improvements that we made a year ago, the depth, the championship-caliber depth that started to be established across the board is something that we all have worked hard for,” Riley said. “It’s been a long journey to work towards that point, but it’s pretty exciting to watch unfold right now.”

Trojans fans wish Riley would do his unfolding a bit faster.

Riley’s first USC team won 11 of its first 12 games with Caleb Williams working wonders, but the high-priced coach is 15-13 since then. USC went 7-6 in its Big Ten debut last season, needing a late comeback to steal the Las Vegas Bowl from Texas A&M just to avoid posting the Trojans’ third losing record since 2000.

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Publish date : 2025-08-21 00:54:00

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