Athlon: USC's Lincoln Riley outside Top 5 head coaches in Big Ten
Athlon Sports dropped its annual ranking of Big Ten head coaches, USC’s Lincoln Riley slipping outside of the Top 5. Riley checked in as the No. 7 Big Ten head coach.
Riley ranked below Big Ten newcomers in Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham (No. 4) and Penn State’s Matt Campbell (No. 6).
No surprise that pressure is mounting on Riley to put forth a breakthrough season for USC in Year 5.
The ‘26 season is a crucial one for Riley. USC has seemingly made the right on- and off-field investments in recent years, but the Trojans have yet to make the playoffs under Riley. After an 11-3 debut with the program in ‘22, USC slipped to 8-5 the following year and finished 7-6 in its first trip through the Big Ten in ‘24. However, the Trojans seem to be on the rise again after a 9-4 finish last year. Whether it was at Oklahoma or now at USC, scoring points and putting together high-powered offenses has never been a problem for Riley. Can he solve the defensive issues that held back the Sooners during his tenure and now with the Trojans? If he can, USC can push for the playoff and Big Ten title in ‘26.
This marks a slight drop for Riley, who ranked No. 5 in Athlon’s 2025 ranking of Big Ten head coaches.
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Lincoln Riley’s Championship Window
The Trojans are looking to take another step forward for Lincoln Riley’s fifth season at the helm. USC was a brutal overtime loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl from Riley’s second ten-win season in L.A. The Trojans finished 9-4, his best mark since 2022.
Riley told On3.com earlier this offseason that USC’s championship window opened following that bowl loss.
“Taking this over, you knew you had to go fight like hell just to try to get this window opened,” Riley said. “And we’re at a point right now where there’s a lot to be excited about and a lot in front of us. It’s been a lot of work for a lot of people, a lot of commitment from a lot of people to get there, and it should be a lot of fun these next few years.”
USC and Riley are feeling the pressure for the program’s first College Football Playoff bid this fall. The path will include road games at Wisconsin, Penn State and defending national champion Indiana. USC will also host Ohio State, Oregon and Washington.
The Trojans open the season against San Jose State in Week 0.
On paper, USC is set up for success with a No. 1 recruiting class on campus, plenty of returning starters, including QB Jayden Maiava. USC is also opening a new football performance center this summer.
