Lincoln Riley the head coach with the most to lose per CBS Sports
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for the USC Trojans because he felt he'd be in a better position to compete for a national championship in Los Angeles than in Norman. Through four seasons of Riley at USC and Brent Venables at OU, it looks like Oklahoma is closer to a championship than USC is.
Venables and the Sooners won 10 games, including a victory over Michigan, and key road wins over Tennessee and Alabama to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff for the first time since Riley's Sooners were demolished by the Joe Burrow-led LSU Tigers.
Riley and the Trojans are coming off of a 9-4 record, which included a 7-2 record in Big Ten play but a Holiday Bowl loss to TCU. USC also lost games to Illinois, Notre Dame, and Oregon. Three ranked losses, but that one to the Illini definitely stung. Kind of reminds you of the losses to Iowa State and Kansas State in 2020. Or the losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State in 2021. Losing games to teams you should beat.
Well, heading into 2026, CBS Sports believes Riley is the head coach with the most to lose. Especially with the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2026 and one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten returning for this season.
The pressure surrounding Riley isn't necessarily about job security. It's about expectations finally matching the resources. Everything in Los Angeles that's needed to win big is now in place. Even Riley has acknowledged this roster is built to compete. – Brad Crawford, CBS Sports
Riley has been close to the College Football Playoff several times since 2019. But close doesn't get you very far in L.A. With all of the resources, the ones he said he left Norman for, he finally put together a roster that might be able to contend for a playoff spot in an expanded 12-team playoff.
But he and the Trojans will have to rise to the occassion in big-time matchups against Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, and Washington and avoid letdowns against the likes of a revamped UCLA squad.
Despite the fanfare of Riley's arrival at USC and all that was made about what was wrong at Oklahoma, all he has to show for it is just one more win and zero playoff appearances in four seasons.
Seems like Oklahoma's gotten the better end of the deal.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Lincoln Riley enters 2026 under pressure
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos