Lincoln Riley Sounds Off on Major USC Challenge as $90M Fate May Get Settled Soon Lincoln Riley opens up about USC’s Big Ten travel grind as pressure mounts with his $90M future hanging in the balance

Lincoln Riley finally made that big jump in his year 4 that he was supposed to make when he joined the B1G. After going 11–3 in his debut season, things started to go downhill for the Heisman maker. Despite having the Heisman winner, the Trojans finished 8-5 in year two and finished 7–6 in year three. But year four? Classic Lincoln Riley Sooners-style offense is back. USC is 4–0, with their offense averaging 583.8 yards per game, 7.1 yards per carry, and blasting 52.5 points per game. The AP Poll also welcomed them to the No.21 position on the Poll. That’s a big jump from the 2024 season. Even their defense has taken its game to the next level under D’Anton Lynn. Safe to say, vintage, diabolical play-caller Lincoln Riley is back in 2025. However, for USC, the biggest problem isn’t on the