Lincoln Riley had a message for the college football world after his USC Trojans picked up a huge 48-45 win over the rival UCLA Bruins on Saturday.
Riley’s Trojans are 10-1 in his first season as their head coach. They entered the rivalry game 9-1, while UCLA entered 8-2, making this the biggest game in the rivalry since 2005. The game lived up to the hype, and USC prevailed, keeping their hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff alive.
Riley wanted to make sure the college football world knew that.
After leaving Oklahoma for Los Angeles, he was sure to share the point that college football in LA is back.
“I just want to say, college football on the West Coast, and here in L.A., is alive and well,” Riley said after the game.
It’s important for Riley to send that message. For the last handful of years, college football in L.A. had seemed dead. There was a period when UCLA had faltered under Jim Mora and was bad under Chip Kelly. USC, after Sam Darnold left, struggled under Clay Helton. Many top recruits from Southern California left for other programs around the country rather than stay home the way they used to.
Riley is trying to build USC into a powerhouse, and he’s trying to communicate that message to let everyone know that the Trojans are a national factor again. He also knows that UCLA being good is beneficial for the city and respect the area can command nationally.
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