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By Eduardo Razo
Contributing Sports Writer
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Lincoln Riley's first season as the USC Trojans head coach was amazing as they won 11 games. However, since that first season in 2022, it's been a struggle for Riley as he's gone 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024.
USC lured Riley away from Oklahoma with the expectation that he would have the Trojans in the College Football Playoff picture and contending for a national title. Nonetheless, that hasn't happened.
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Could another underwhelming year for USC spell trouble for Riley? FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd doesn't believe so. Moreover, he believes the 41-year-old is safe regardless of how this 2025 season plays out.
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"So the truth is, Lincoln Riley's unfireable," Cowherd said on the "Joel Klatt Show." "I mean, Brian Kelly—you can't run him out of town. They're struggling to make NIL payments. USC just spent $300 million on the facility, $18 million on NIL. What, Jen Cohen's going to go, 'You know what? I want an $80 million check for Lincoln and then $80 [million] to hire his replacement.' So, the bottom line is, Lincoln's safe."
Moreover, Cowherd spotlighted the issues that he sees with the Trojans that make him believe that 2025 will be another season in which Riley wins eight games.
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"It looks like an eight-win team. It's the only Lincoln team I've ever looked at. I go back to Oklahoma, where I like the defensive personnel way more than the offensive personnel... I don't see a ton of firepower. So, I think it's a USC team that's going to be in a lot of close, interesting games."
The Trojans will have four winnable games to start the season and build positive momentum. USC's first significant test will come on September 27 when they travel to Champaign, Illinois, and face the Fighting Illini, which will be an indicator as to what direction Riley and his team go in 2025.
For more on college football, head to Newsweek Sports.
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