USC's Lincoln Riley could be coaching for his job

Lincoln Riley has kicked off his fifth season as the head coach of the USC Trojans football program. 

Until now, Riley has not lived up to his expectations one bit. Entering this season, Riley has a 35-18 record, with his only double-digit win seasons coming in 2022, his first season in Los Angeles. 

USC won its Week 0 game against San Jose State, 42-26, although the low attendance raised plenty of eyebrows across the country. 

Before Week 0, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic had his list of coaches who are on the hot seat, and Riley's temperature was interesting: Steamy. 

Here's why Feldman thinks the time might be running out for Riley. 

"Riley has been vocal about thinking that the Trojans are about to win big. He needs to. It’s Year 5. He’s been paid a fortune, even by college coaching standards. His AD, Jen Cohen, did not hire him," Feldman wrote. 

However, Feldman believes there could be little room for error. 

"Going 9-3 against this schedule would actually feel impressive. Going 8-4, though, might cost him his job," he wrote. 

Will USC part ways with Lincoln Riley already? 

Riley left the Oklahoma Sooners to take the USC job in a shocking move. And USC then gave him a 10-year contract worth $110 million, so it is only going to be halfway done at the end of 2026. 

However, LSU moved on from Brian Kelly and hired Lane Kiffin despite paying a ton of money to the former coach. 

Could USC make the same move? That remains to be seen, but USC hired Riley with expectations to compete for a national title, and this team hasn't even competed for a Big Ten Conference title over the past few seasons. 

USC faces Fresno State, Louisiana-Monroe and Rutgers before a tough two-game stretch against Oregon and Washington, although both are at home. 

An 8-4 record might not be good enough for Riley to keep his job, but a lot of it will depend on how much money the administration is willing to pay in a potential buyout.