USC football is a sinking ship under Lincoln Riley. The buyout for Riley is currently prohibitive, in the area of $70 million. Athletic director Jennifer Cohen has a lot of work to do as the Trojans figure out their next move. Negotiating a buyout settlement has to be a priority. Will Riley's camp be stubborn about the matter? Almost certainly. Does this mean Cohen should sit on her hands and do nothing and simply eat the buyout? No. What can help USC get out of this mess as cheaply as possible? It's time to dust off a familiar expression.
Seek new opportunities
This is what USC and Jen Cohen must encourage Lincoln Riley to do: Seek new opportunities. The best outcome for USC football is for Riley to be willing to call it a day in Los Angeles and go back to a part
of the country where he is more culturally comfortable and won't face nearly as much scrutiny or overwhelming expectations.
Baylor Bears
Baylor just fired head coach Dave Aranda. Riley coached against Baylor in the Big 12 at Oklahoma but would not have to worry about coaching against Oklahoma in the new Big 12. Going to Waco to coach ball isn't nearly as suffocating as coaching in Los Angeles with the ghost of Pete Carroll looking over his shoulder. If Baylor is interested in Lincoln Riley, Cohen needs to give Lincoln a gentle and encouraging nudge in that direction.
Oh, really?
This is interesting:
Early buzz is that Baylor is looking for a candidate with deep Texas roots and an offensive background, sources tell @On3.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) October 25, 2026
Hot Board: https://t.co/YMP19Vcx3e https://t.co/oLMaGAy7rr
TCU Horned Frogs
TCU hasn't fired coach Sonny Dykes yet ... but it's coming. TCU has cratered under Dykes and just scored only 20 points against West Virginia's worst-in-the-Big-12 defense. The hammer is likely coming for Dykes. If TCU wants a new coach, how about the man who just hired TCU legend Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator? Moreover, Garrett Riley, Lincoln's brother, helped Dykes coach TCU to the national championship game in the 2022 season. Lincoln Riley to TCU, once Dykes is fired, would not be ridiculous.
Muleshoe, Texas
Lincoln Riley is a Texan. He grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. Big 12 football is in his blood. He attended and played at Texas Tech. A Big 12 Texas-based school makes plenty of sense as a landing spot for Lincoln Riley.
Buyout cost
Lincoln Riley landing at another school for 2027 is precisely what would enable USC to save buyout money. The Trojans couldn't hope for a better outcome.
Can Lincoln Riley save his job at USC?
If we are to speculate about Lincoln Riley's future, he has to beat at least two of Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA. If he loses two of three, USC will finish 8-4. If he loses all three, USC will finish 7-5. Beating two of those teams means USC will finish 9-3. A 9-3 record keeps the conversation alive. Anything less should end the debate. Given how awful USC played against Wisconsin, 8-4 seems like the ceiling at this point, and 7-5 seems to be the likely outcome.
Ohio State
If Ohio State - playing with a backup quarterback - blows out the Trojans this Saturday, it should be all over for Lincoln Riley, and Jen Cohen should either drop the hammer right away or (the better move) use the moment to negotiate down the buyout if that means allowing Riley to coach the rest of the season. We're all waiting to see how USC and Riley respond against the Buckeyes, in a game which carries a strong feel of finality for the Trojans in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Baylor fires coach Dave Aranda - will Bears pursue Lincoln Riley?
