USC's Lincoln Riley Floated for Baylor as Trojans Prepare to Host No. 2 Ohio State

Lincoln Riley's future at USC is now a subject of open debate. A Sportsnaut column by Dana Becker argues that the coach and the Trojans would both be better off going separate ways, and it names Baylor as the place he should land.

This is opinion, not a report of talks. Sportsnaut does not say Baylor has contacted Riley or that the job is officially open. Its case leans on Riley's roots in West Texas. He played high school football in Muleshoe, walked on at Texas Tech and started coaching there before moving on to East Carolina and Oklahoma. The column also points to Baylor's offenses under Art Briles and Matt Rhule, the program's struggles under Dave Aranda, and the amount of high school talent in Texas. According to Sportsnaut, "things, though, appear to have soured" between Riley and USC. Becker says the offense is lacking, the defense is not making big plays and the program is not contending for national titles.

The numbers explain why the question is being asked. Riley is 96-30 as a head coach, with three bowl wins and five seasons of at least 10 wins, according to Sportsnaut. His first USC team went 11-3 in 2022. The next three finished with eight, seven and nine wins, short of what USC expected when it hired him away from Oklahoma. This year's 6-2 start has brought the debate back. The Trojans were held to seven points in their most recent game, a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin, a week after beating Penn State 31-23 on the road.

What it means for Ohio State

This week's opponent will only add to the noise. USC hosts No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, October 31 (NBC), and no remaining game says more about whether Riley's program can stand up to the top of the Big Ten. The Trojans' 6-2 record includes wins over Washington, Rutgers and Penn State. Both losses came against Big Ten teams: a 41-27 home defeat to then-No. 20 Oregon and the result in Madison. In those two games, USC scored a combined 34 points and allowed 65. The Wisconsin loss was the offense's worst showing of the year.

The board for Ohio State at USC has the Buckeyes favored. Ohio State is -233 on the moneyline at Novig. USC is +223 there, and the best price on the Trojans is +229 at Kalshi. On the spread, Novig has Ohio State -7.5 at +108. Hard Rock Bet has a shorter line, Ohio State -6.5 at -120, so the venues are a point apart on the number. The total is 50.5 at Novig, with the over at -108 and the under at -102. Pinnacle's best under is 51 at -118. Across the 12 venues, sportsbook hold runs from 3.7% to 7.0% depending on the market.

A one-score spread gives USC some respect at home, but the board still expects Ohio State to win. A competitive night in Los Angeles would ease some of the questions about Riley's direction. Another lopsided Big Ten loss would give the Baylor talk more momentum heading into November.