Facing mounting questions about his job security, Lincoln Riley delivered the biggest win of his USC tenure on Saturday night, guiding the Trojans to a 30-18 upset victory over second-ranked Ohio State.
The win pushes USC back into the College Football Playoff discussion. The Trojans now control their own destiny entering the final month of the season, holding an outside shot at a Big Ten Championship Game appearance.
Coming into the game, Riley held a 1-6 all-time record against AP top-six opponents. His lone prior victory in that category came back in 2017 during his second game as a head coach at Oklahoma, when the Sooners defeated the Buckeyes 31-16. Saturday’s result marks only the sixth time in 21 tries that USC has toppled a ranked opponent under Riley.
Defensive Plan Stifles Buckeyes
USC deployed a disciplined defensive scheme to neutralize Heisman frontrunner Jeremiah Smith. The Trojans limited the standout wide receiver to 83 yards and a single touchdown on 10 catches.
Head coach Lincoln Riley joins Kathryn Tappen after USC’s takedown of No. 2 Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/yYQfKcJwp1
Meanwhile, Ohio State freshman quarterback Luke Fahey made his first career start in place of the injured Julian Sayin. Fahey struggled to find any consistent rhythm in the passing game and faced relentless pressure that chased him out of the pocket throughout the evening.
On the offensive side, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava recorded 222 passing yards and a touchdown. Running backs King Miller and Waymond Jordan added 126 combined yards and two scores on the ground.
The defeat was a rare stumble for Ryan Day, marking only his sixth loss in 65 games against Big Ten competition with the Buckeyes.
Path to the College Football Playoff and Big Ten Title Game
Sitting at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play, USC is now tied for third in the Big Ten standings following Week 9. Games remaining against Indiana, Maryland, and UCLA mean that winning out would give the Trojans three victories against ranked opponents this season and put the Trojans in prime position for an at-large CFP berth for the first time in program history.
Reaching the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis requires a more complicated set of tiebreakers. If USC wins out, the team needs specific losses from several conference opponents:
- UCLA must lose to Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan.
- Northwestern must lose to Iowa, Ohio State, Minnesota, or Illinois.
- Wisconsin must lose to Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, or Minnesota.
- Oregon must lose to Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, or Washington.
- Ohio State must lose to Northwestern, Nebraska, or Michigan.
- Nebraska must lose to Washington, Illinois, Rutgers, Ohio State, or Iowa.
- Illinois must lose to Nebraska, UCLA, Iowa, or Northwestern.
- Iowa must lose to Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, or Nebraska.
Under these scenarios, USC would finish 7-2 in Big Ten play and hold the necessary tiebreakers over UCLA, Ohio State, Indiana, Northwestern, and Nebraska should those teams finish with identical records.
Lincoln Riley pulled out some prepared notes to finish his news conference after USC beat Ohio State on Saturday night, in what felt like a plea to remind people he is worthy of his job. Have never seen that before. pic.twitter.com/r2m2HrLD53
Current Big Ten Standings
| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 5-0 | 8-0 |
| Indiana | 5-1 | 8-1 |
| USC | 4-2 | 7-2 |
| Northwestern | 3-2 | 6-2 |
| Iowa | 3-2 | 6-2 |
| Minnesota | 3-2 | 5-3 |
| Wisconsin* | 3-2 | 5-3 |
| Illinois | 3-2 | 5-3 |
| Oregon* | 3-2 | 5-3 |
| Nebraska | 2-2 | 5-2 |
*Teams that currently hold tiebreakers due to head-to-head wins.
Simplifying the math, if USC wins out, UCLA’s only conference loss would come against the Trojans, and Riley’s squad would own tiebreakers over any other remaining two-loss conference teams.
Addressing questions about his future earlier in the week, Riley expressed his commitment to the program. “If I didn’t want to be at this place, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place,” Riley said. “I’ve had plenty of opportunities to leave. This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I’m the right person to be here. And that’s as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.”
Riley holds a 42-20 overall record at USC, having previously led the team to an 11-win season in 2022 before the program entered the Big Ten.
