Lincoln Riley's USC Contract Buyout Info amid Hot-Seat Buzz After Loss vs. Indiana

The No. 18 USC Trojans saw their College Football Playoff hopes shattered in a 27-13 loss against the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. 

The loss cast a spotlight on USC coach Lincoln Riley's tenure with the team. 

Riley signed a 10-year, $110 million contract with the Trojans in 2021. That deal gave him considerable job security, especially since a midseason firing would be financially difficult. If Riley were to be fired this season, USC would owe him a $70 million buyout.

After the loss to Indiana, Riley expressed confidence in his ability to turn things around.

"Absolutely," Riley said. "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. And trust me, there's nobody that wants it as bad as all of us involved. And we know how close we are as a group, we know how close we are as a team, and we got a good view of that tonight. So we're going to keep battling. We will get there and all this will continue to make it more sweet when that time does happen."

Despite being equipped with a top-end roster, the Trojans have lost three game and their lone victory against a ranked team came against the struggling No. 20 Ohio State Buckeyes.

When USC president Beong-Soo Kim was asked in October about potentially firing Riley, he offered a short response. 

"We're not thinking about that," Kim said. "We are laser-focused on the next game, and then the game after that."

That line of thinking may have changed as pressure and scrutiny have continued to mount. Former USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was among those calling for Lincoln to be fired after USC's most recent loss.

"It's time to find somebody else," Johnson said in a video posting to his social media account.

Riley has a 42-21 record through his five seasons with USC. The Trojans have not reached double-digit victories since his first year with the team in 2022, when they finished with an 11-3 record.