Urban Meyer Puts $11M Head Coach Under Pressure Over Program's Playoff Drought: "How in the World?"

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Before coming to USC, Lincoln Riley was one of the hottest coaching commodities in the nation. He had won four Big 12 titles, made it to the playoffs thrice, and had a dominant 55-10 record. Along with that, he developed two Heisman-winning QBs and secured his elite ‘QB whisperer’ label for good.

As a result, USC handed him an $11 million-per-year contract. Yet in four years, Riley has not repeated his Oklahoma dominance. Former OSU head coach Urban Meyer, highlighting his playoff drought, shared a blunt statement.

“I like Lincoln Riley; he’s a he-k of a person, he-k of a coach, but how in the world is USC not in the playoffs every year?” Urban Meyer said on his July 29 Triple Option podcast. “They got the recruiting area. I grew up watching USC, the great coaches, the Heisman Trophy winners, the national champions. You know, the location, you fall over players. You stumble over great players when you leave USC.”

In his four seasons at USC, Riley has compiled a 10+ win season just once. Last year, the Trojans could manage just eight wins. It was an improvement on 2024. However, even the CFP getting expanded to 12 teams hasn’t helped USC reach the playoffs.

When he took over, Riley was still feeling the effects of the “Alex Grinch hangover” from 2022. He tried to fix things by bringing in his old DC from Oklahoma. However, in the 2022 Pac-12 championship game, the new defense gave up 47 points. Although the loss meant the team didn’t even make the four-team playoff, it was a big disappointment.

You’d think that would have been enough for Riley to look for a new coordinator for 2023. He stuck with Grinch again. And things only got worse. In fact, that season, USC had one of the worst defenses among FBS teams. But that’s not the only thing that held USC back.

Ever since the Pete Carroll era ended, USC’s culture has deteriorated. The Coliseum became emptier every year, and the recruiting dipped as other programs expanded their wings into California. Riley had to improve locker room culture and recruiting while playing an exciting brand of football to keep fans happy. It’s often difficult to do everything at once. This challenge is even greater during a massive conference transition, like when USC moved to the Big Ten in 2024.

Many even gave Riley the leeway for the 2024 season, but last year, all excuses fell short. USC suffered tight losses against Illinois and Notre Dame. It lacked enough depth in the trenches and failed to provide short-yardage running lanes at key moments. The result? We all saw that 27-30 thumping against TCU in the Alamo Bowl.

“We’re more equipped than at any point in the previous few years,” Riley said at the Big 10 Media Days this year. After spending two years in the Big 10, he knows depth is crucial. Recruiting those big, bulky linemen will be a key to beating the Big 10’s explosive ground attacks. He did that with his 1st overall recruiting class this year. Most importantly, Riley knows he is in probably the hottest seat in the country.

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