Saturday’s 42–27 loss to Oregon ended USC’s hopes of scoring a trip to the Big Ten championship or the College Football Playoff, another big game in which Lincoln Riley’s Trojans ultimately looked outmatched by a superior opponent. USC, now 8–3, has held serve this season, but with losses to Notre Dame, Illinois and now Oregon, they’ve struggled on the road and in games where they weren’t a clear favorite.
Few expected a CFP run by the Trojans entering the year, but the competitive team’s inability to get over the hump against top competition has grown stale with many of the program’s fans. At the same time, rumors have emerged that Riley could seek to leave USC and latch on with one of the many power conference programs looking for a coach right now. During Saturday night’s Tennessee win over Florida, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said he’s heard Riley’s name floated as a backup plan if Florida strikes out on landing Lane Kiffin.
