Pete Nakos floats idea of Lincoln Riley pursuing ‘openings in Texas’ if USC goes south

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USC football came into the 2026 season with one goal: College Football Playoff or bust. If the Trojans make the 12-team field, all will be well in Los Angeles and Lincoln Riley will finally have his berth in the postseason with USC. If not, questions would be asked about a lot of things, with Riley’s job security at the top of the list.

Despite a 6-1 start to the season, USC’s CFP hopes are now on life support. On Saturday night, Riley and company put forth a miserable performance in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin to put it right on the edge of CFP elimination.

The Trojans still have games against Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA this season, so a berth in the 12-team bracket seems extremely unlikely. On Sunday, On3 Sports college football insider Pete Nakos floated the idea of Riley looking at jobs in Texas if he isn’t with USC next season.

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“The Trojans lost on Saturday night to drop to 6-2 on the season, and the schedule only gets harder from here for Lincoln Riley,” Nakos wrote. “USC has games remaining against Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA, and a 7-5 finish to the season is on the table. How Riley finishes out the season will be critical for his future in Los Angeles. Could he look around at the job market if there are openings in Texas?”

There are a number of jobs in Texas that Nakos could be referring to. The jobs at TCU and Baylor, both of whom are middling Big 12 teams this season, could both be coming open if Sonny Dykes and Dave Aranda are fired. There will be rumblings about Mike Elko’s job at Texas A&M, but it would be a big surprise if the Aggies moved on after just one down year.

Regardless of whether he remains at USC next season or not, Riley is still one of the top play-callers and offensive minds in the country. He will be near the top of the list for many jobs if the Trojans decide to move on after the season.

Related: TCU fires coach after West Virginia loss, but it’s not Sonny Dykes

Related: Oregon football fires offensive coordinator after another dismal performance vs. Illinois