"It's certainly been a lot": Lincoln Riley opens up on struggles that come with constant changes in college football
College football has changed dramatically over the last couple of years from the transfer portal, the playoff expansion and conference realignment. On Thursday, USC coach Lincoln Riley said all the changes in college football have been challenging, but he enjoys it.
"It's different if I had still been at Oklahoma. With all that's changing, we have all had to adapt," Riley said to On3 (2:50). "We have all had to change. When you pair that with a new school and new environment, it's certainly been a lot. I think, on the one hand, we have been trying to learn about this place, what it means to be a USC Trojan, and what it is like to live in Los Angeles.
"I think we have come a long way, and you are trying to balance everything in college football. It's been a fun challenge. It's forced me to take it one step at a time."
Since taking over as USC's coach, Riley has gone 26-14 but had a disappointing season (7-6) in 2024.
Riley has yet to lead the Trojans to the College Football Playoff, but the hope is that will change in 2025 with a much-improved defense and Jayden Maiava at quarterback.
Analyst calls 2025 a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley
When USC hired Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, the hope was he would lead them to the playoffs.
However, that hasn't been the case as USC has gotten worse every year, and now college football analyst PaUl Finebaum calls 2025 a make-or-break year for Riley.
“I don’t know why we were both thinking USC when you started asking that question,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic via On3. “I think it’s a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley, and I think to his credit, winning the bowl game was really important. I mean, it’s amazing what a bowl game win will do, especially if you’re a school out there beating an SEC team to book-end your season."
USC opens its 2025 college football season on August 30 against Missouri State. The Trojans also have notable games against Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon and UCLA.