After yet another inexcusable loss to Wisconsin, the Lincoln Riley era at USC looks to be nearing an end

How quickly things can change in the world of modern college football.

Just a few weeks ago, the USC Trojans were seemingly riding a wave of positive momentum. In the Lincoln Riley era, SC has struggled to win on the road, particularly against traditionally big programs. In 2025, for example, the Trojans went 9-3 in the regular season, with all three losses coming at Illinois, at Oregon and at Notre Dame.

But things were supposed to be different in 2026. SC brought in the number one recruiting class in the country. They brought back starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, entering his third year in the program and second full season as the starter. New defensive coordinator Gary Patterson brought a wealth of experience and a history of getting elite performance out of TCU level talent.

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While the schedule looked daunting, thanks to games against Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana, 2026 was widely viewed as a turning point for the program. Win 10 games and make the College Football Playoff, or bust. Through early October, despite some underwhelming performances, the Trojans were squarely in position.

Chaos throughout the SEC opened the door for more available at-large spots. Despite an ugly home loss to a diminished Oregon team, SC was 5-1 heading into a big road game against Penn State. And finally, a Riley-coached SC team looked prepared. Even with the "White Out" home crowd, a motivated PSU team, the lengthy road trip to the Eastern Time Zone, and a long litany of injuries, SC won 31-23 ahead of their bye week.

In the interim, Ohio State lost their starting quarterback Julian Sayin, likely for the remainder of the regular season, making their matchup on Halloween look a lot more winnable. SC just had to get through another road game at Wisconsin to set up the biggest home game in years. And boy oh boy did they not get through it.

Almost immediately, the Trojans looked the way they so frequently have under Riley: poorly coached, undisciplined, and unable to overcome when things start going against them. Their offensive line, which was supposed to be a strength, was confused and overwhelmed by a Wisconsin defense that allowed 41 points to Notre Dame. Maiava played one of his worst games as a Trojan, throwing two interceptions, though one was on a deflected pass, and taking multiple awful intentional grounding penalties. One of which set up a much longer field goal attempt, which was promptly blocked.

USC's running game was nonexistent, with minus-17 total yards thanks to Maiava's minus-57 — minus-57!!! — rushing yards. There were multiple drops by the receiving corps. Perhaps most emblematic was the sequence that played out late in the second quarter.

Wisconsin had a nearly eight-minute touchdown drive, kicking the ball back to SC with the Badgers up 10-7, 1:51 remaining and the Trojans still with all three timeouts. Boobie Feaster muffed the kickoff at the goal line, however, and SC started their drive at