Keyshawn Johnson Turns on Lincoln Riley After USC's 24-7 Loss at Wisconsin

Keyshawn Johnson, one of the best-known names in USC football history, has publicly broken with Lincoln Riley. After the Trojans lost 24-7 at Wisconsin on Saturday, the former All-America receiver posted that he respects Riley but that "it just ain't working out," and told the university that tough decisions have to be made, as reported by HEAVY and EssentiallySports.

Johnson did not go as far as demanding a firing. Both outlets note, though, that he tied his frustration to a connection with the school that goes back to his childhood. He also said he is tired of answering for the program's results as if he were the one coaching it. EssentiallySports places his comments alongside earlier public criticism of Riley from former Trojans LenDale White, Su'a Cravens and Rey Maualuga, which picked up after USC let a 10-point fourth-quarter lead slip away against TCU in last December's Alamo Bowl.

The loss in Madison gave the critics plenty to point at. Yahoo Sports reported that Jayden Maiava threw two interceptions in the first quarter and was sacked five times. USC finished with minus-17 rushing yards, and kicker Caden Chittenden missed both of his field goal attempts. Citing the broadcast, Yahoo Sports said the seven points were the fewest any Riley-coached team has scored. Wisconsin ran 43 times for 142 yards and won comfortably even though Colton Joseph threw for only 58 yards. Afterward, Riley took responsibility for the result and pointed to how differently his team had played two weeks earlier in its win at Penn State.

What it means for Ohio State

The timing is bad for USC. The Trojans are 6-2, but both losses have come in their last five games: 41-27 at home to Oregon, then Saturday's defeat at a Wisconsin team that is now 5-2. Between those two losses, USC beat Washington 25-21 and won 31-23 at Penn State. Penn State has since dropped to 3-4. The remaining schedule gives USC little room. No. 3 Ohio State comes to the Coliseum on Saturday, October 31, on NBC, and Indiana, Maryland and UCLA follow, according to EssentiallySports. USC's playoff hopes are already in danger, and how this team plays against the Buckeyes will feed straight into the argument over Riley's job.

Across the six venues on this site's board, Ohio State is favored. Novig has the Buckeyes at -233 on the moneyline and USC at +213. The best USC price anywhere is +220 at bet365, so the venues are only a few points apart on the underdog. The spread splits by half a point: Ohio State is favored by 7 at DraftKings at -105, while FanDuel offers USC at +7.5 for -122. The total ranges from 51.5 to 52.5, and sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 4.2% to 5.9%.

Those numbers suggest the market gives USC a real chance at home, even after the worst offensive showing of Riley's tenure. For a fan base that is starting to say out loud what Johnson said, a competitive game against Ohio State may count for more than any statement from Riley.