For former USC Trojans quarterback and 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, this year's USC team has what it takes to be a real College Football Playoff contender. After a conversation with coach Lincoln Riley,

Hear me out, Oklahoma fans. If and when you finish watching the No. 8 Sooners take care of No. 22 Mizzou to preserve a clear path to the Playoff, flip on CBS. At 3:30 p.m. ET, Lincoln Riley will lead No.

Riley's hiring sought to propel USC back to the center of the college football universe, and though the landscape looks much different than previous title-winning tenures in LA, the current outlook does have the Trojans where they hoped to be for the games that matter the most.

EUGENE - The leaves are fluttering off the trees as the sun peeks out from the fog at the University of Oregon. Smells of barbecue drift across the stadium park

LOS ANGELES—USC head coach Lincoln Riley has been named a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award.

Lincoln Riley said he sensed a shift in his team's demeanor at halftime, just as the team’s Playoff hopes were hanging by a thread.

The speculation about a departure emerged earlier this week when ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate suggested that Riley could be on the hot seat or leave the school, cryptically saying “Let’s just keep an eye on Lincoln Riley at USC.”

On Saturday, the USC football program picked up a big win over the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 26-21 in front of their home fans. The win pushed the Trojans' record on the 2025 college football season to 8-2 and kept their outside hopes at the college football playoff this year alive ahead of next week's game vs Oregon.

The No. 15 USC Trojans will aim to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive as they will go on the road to take on the No. 7 Oregon Ducks. Autzen Stadium