Shockwaves at USC: Big Ten Giant Emerges as Dark Horse to Replace Lincoln Riley if Trojans Collapse

USC started the season with a win over San Jose State. It was not an impressive game for the Trojans, as Lincoln Riley and the team have high expectations for 2026. If the Trojans do not live up to those expectations, Lincoln Riley could be on the hot seat.

If Lincoln Riley is let go at the end of the year, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic thinks a current rival Big Ten coach could be heading to USC, with Jedd Fisch leaving Washington to head south.

“He did an amazing job turning Arizona into a winner, taking over one of the most dismal power conference situations and getting the Wildcats to No. 11 in the country and a 10-win season in Year 3. At Washington, he followed Kalen DeBoer and had to replace almost every starter. Then, the AD who hired him left. Last season, Fisch led the Huskies to a 9-4 mark, but it wouldn’t surprise us if Fisch would be tempted to make a move out of Seattle. The Washington job isn’t close to the top of the Big Ten financially. If USC doesn’t win big in Lincoln Riley’s fifth season, Fisch might be an option there depending on how his team does in 2026. He has proven to be an outstanding talent evaluator and program manager based on what he built at Arizona and his rebuild in Seattle,” Feldman wrote.