Lincoln Riley Talks USC Hot Seat Buzz, Reiterates He's Right Person for Job After Loss vs. Indiana

USC head coach Lincoln Riley remained steadfast in his belief that he's the right person to lead the Trojans after they suffered a 27-13 loss to Indiana on Saturday.

"Absolutely," Riley told reporters after the game. "I believe in what we're doing. I believe in myself. I believe in our leadership. I believe in our administration. I believe in everything what's happening here. Trust me, there's nobody that wants it as bad as all of us involved. We know how close we are as a group, we know how close we are as a team. We got a good view of that tonight. We're gonna keep battling, we will get there and all this will continue to make it more sweet when that time does happen."

Riley previously discussed his commitment to the school after his team secured an upset victory over Ohio State on Oct. 31.

"This win is for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, admin, all the people within the walls," Riley said at the time, via Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg. "I said before this game that I'm the right person for this job, and as long as all those people know that, that's all I care about. I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does. I appreciate all our kids and our staff. And I'm going to continue to fight on because that's what being a Trojan is all about."

The Trojans fell to 7-3 with Saturday's loss, effectively extinguishing their College Football Playoff hopes.

USC has posted a 42-21 record since Riley was hired as head coach ahead of the 2022 season, but has yet to clinch a CFP berth. The lack of a playoff appearance has been especially disappointing considering he helped lead Oklahoma to the CFP on three separate occasions during his tenure at the school from 2017-21.

USC will close out its 2026 campaign against Maryland and UCLA.