USC suffered its first loss of the 2026 season and its fifth consecutive defeat against rival Oregon on Saturday in Week 4. Despite backup Dylan Raiola entering the game for injured Ducks quarterback Dante Moore, Oregon held on to win 41-27 in its Big Ten opener at the Trojans' house.
It's a frustrating result for a USC program that hasn't quite reached the highs it expected when it hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. Amid what could be another disappointing season, it seems Riley's job may not be safe.
According to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, the Trojans could consider parting ways with Riley at the end of the season, depending on how the remaining seven games play out. USC is a private school, so Riley's buyout is not publicly known. However,
per Zenitz, it is believed to be around $70 million.
"A buyout of roughly $70 million would be prohibitive for almost any program," Zenitz wrote. "Industry sources nevertheless caution against assuming it rules out a change at USC, a private institution with deep-pocketed supporters. No decision has been made, and Riley's future will depend on what the Trojans do from here."Expectations were high when USC hired Riley in 2021. He was 55-10 in Norman and reached the four-team College Football Playoff three times in five years as the Sooners' coach.
Riley won 11 games in his first season with the Trojans, but he hasn't won more than nine since and is just 28-16 over the last four seasons. He also has just two ranked finishes at USC.
It could be an active coaching carousel cycle, and if Riley can't right the ship, we could see a blue-blood job in one of the two premier conferences among the openings.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Lincoln Riley could be on the hot seat at USC despite massive buyout
