Southern Cal fans sprinted out of the Los Angeles Coliseum as if they’d just learned $5 gas was on sale in the parking lot.
Before kickoff, USC’s players wore shirts that read, “Lock The Gates,” and the public address announcer delivered that message during pregame. Well, the gates unlocked in the fourth quarter, and fans spilled out of them.
The torch was lit, two ranked teams were on the field, and the thermometer sat at a comfy 79 degrees, so you can’t blame the weather for the stadium hallowing out early. Fans had simply just seen enough of another Lincoln Riley loss.
With an opportunity
to prove he’s finally figured this thing out five seasons into his tenure, Riley and his Trojans couldn’t deliver.
The USC coach called this 41-27 loss to No. 16 Oregon a “heavyweight battle,” but really, it’s just another gut punch to Riley’s tenure.
“It was a hell of an atmosphere in there,” Riley said. “We had all the momentum in the world.”
And USC did precious little with all that momentum.
These are bellwether games for a fifth-year coach, and this result shows that USC still isn’t on the tier with Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon in the Big Ten.
It’s Year 5, and the best win of Riley's tenure came in Year 1 against nine-win Notre Dame.
Riley promised after losing to Oregon last season that “it’s just going to keep getting better and better.” Empty promises, unless you consider a 14-point loss to Oregon improvement after last year’s 15-point loss.
Oregon pulling away, and USC fans hitting the exits pic.twitter.com/PmA66veNZD
— jordan mendoza (@jordan_mendoza5) September 27, 2026
USC football had pieces in place this season
If Riley can’t win big with this team, then why should anyone be expected to believe he’ll ever figure it out at USC?
No team in the country returned more starters than USC. That included star quarterback Jayden Maiava. He played well against Oregon, but he’ll need to be Superman to carry USC to the playoff with a defense that seems more interested in delivering cheap shots than keeping teams out of the end zone.
The Trojans knocked Oregon quarterback Dante Moore out of the game in the first half with Desman Stephens II’s dirty hit. Stephens celebrated and taunted the Ducks, while Oregon’s quarterback lay on the ground in the fencing position. That’s a portrait of what USC has become. It’s hot-dogging after targeting penalties. Cameras showed Stephens high-fiving teammates on the sidelines after his ejection.
Call it karma that Oregon backup Dylan Raiola came in and tore asunder USC’s defense.
“Seeing (Moore) like that shook the whole team,” Raiola told reporters afterward. “But at the same time, we knew we were going to fight for him.”
Dylan Raiola, Oregon quiet USC
Raiola played so well, you had to wonder whether Dan Lanning had his best quarterback sitting on the bench. Or, perhaps, this is just the natural byproduct of facing a Riley team: 504 yards allowed, and goodbye to the idea that Gary Patterson fixed USC’s defense. That’s now three straight games in which the Trojans have allowed at least 30 points.
Oregon scored on seven of nine possessions.
Tell me again how the Riley-Patterson tandem is going to be an elite tag team? Yeah, right.
“I didn’t think we did a great job tackling them,” Riley said.
You could expect to find some version of that line on the quote sheet pretty much every week.
“If you’re interested in winning football games and (you’re a recruit) from this area, you should go to Oregon,” Lanning said after improving to 3-0 against Riley. “If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here.”
That’s a mic drop. It’s also just the facts.
Riley’s Trojans still can’t win the big games, and he’s going to waste another season with a star quarterback, while USC’s supporters head for the exits.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Listen to his podcast, "College Football Unfiltered." Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If Lincoln Riley can't figure out USC football now, he never will | Opinion
