USC won't admit it but the clock on head coach Lincoln Riley's tenure is getting close to running out. After a deflating 41-27 loss to regional rival Oregon on Saturday night -- mired in controversy -- the Trojans' chances at reaching the Big Ten championship, and possibly the College Football Playoff, took a massive hit.
Now in year five of a 10-year, $110 million contract, Riley is now expected to deliver more than just non-playoff bowl game trophies. Losing the first meaningful game of the year isn't going to get the job done. The problem for USC, though, is that kicking Riley to the curb after this year limits their choices for bringing in a culture changer.
It would have been viewed as a rather drastic and brash decision to fire Riley after four years but he was entering this season 6-13 against ranked opponents since taking the helm at USC and no meaningful hardware to ease the criticism. James Franklin was dismissed from Penn State for less. But what may be making Trojans fans somewhat regretful in being patient with Riley is the fact that cross-town rival UCLA is seeing immediate dividends from its new head coach hire.
UCLA's Bob Chesney is making the grass look a lot greener on the other side of Los Angeles
The Bruins are entering Week 5 undefeated (4-0) and ranked No. 23 in the nation. After going 3-9 last year and going two consecutive years with sub-.500 campaigns, this is a refreshing change for the program. It's the first time since 2022 it's begun a year 4-0 and that was a Chip Kelly-led team that started 6-0. Chesney is the first UCLA coach since Red Sanders in 1949 to begin his tenure undefeated after four games.
UCLA has improved more in four games under Bob Chesney than I've seen at USC in five years under Lincoln Riley.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 26, 2026
USC fans may not be threatened by Chesney, and the Bruins' fun will likely come to an end when they face No. 15 Oregon on Saturday, but the Trojans can't deny the vibes are certainly better at the Rose Bowl right now than at the L.A. Coliseum. Chesney took over James Madison after the legendary Curt Cignetti left for Indiana. He needed just two seasons to rack up 21 wins and a College Football Playoff appearance to prove his Power Conference bona fides.
Jumping from James Madison to USC would've been a massive leap and a seismic change in the Big Ten but maybe that's what the Trojans needed to break the cycle of mediocrity. Chesney brought four key transfers with him to UCLA from Harrisonburg, Virginia including linebacker Trent Hendrick, running back Wayne Knight, defensive end Sahir West and offensive lineman Carter Sweazie. All four have been integral parts of the Bruins' success so far this year.
"We came here to achieve and to grow every single day," Chesney told Big Ten Network after his team's 54-3 trouncing of Maryland on Saturday.
"We came here to achieve and to grow every single day."
— UCLA on BTN (@UCLAOnBTN) September 27, 2026
🗣️ Bob Chesney on @UCLAFOotball's 4-0 start pic.twitter.com/MRErCwWl6z
USC is used to landing a high number of five-star recruits and Riley has dozens of those committments on his resume. Yet it seems no matter how much NFL-caliber talent is brought in, the team can only run up the score against nobodies and loses the games that matter. Chesney has a CFP appearance on his resume -- albeit representing the Group of Six -- but that's still an attractive line on his resume and championship pedigree recruits will respect.
There's a culture change happening in Los Angeles but it's just happening at the Rose Bowl. USC missed out on the under-the-radar hire that could've hit the reset button on a tired approach to reclaiming it's early 2000s glory.
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