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USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Most Pressure?
USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley’s last two seasons at USC have not gone according to plan. The Trojans have followed up an 11-win 2022 season with 8-5 and 7-6 seasons in 2023 and 2024. The pressure has turned up for Riley and the Trojans going into next season.
What college football coaches have the most pressure heading into the 2025 season?
The USC Trojans hired Lincoln Riley in 2022. Riley signed a 10-year deal worth $110 million. Since his first season where the Trojans went 11-3, the team has regressed. Additionally, following the 2024 season, USC lost 21 players to the transfer portal and were unable to land a top-ten recruiting class in 2025.
As member of the Big Ten conference with programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan, things will not get easier. USC is currently a middle of the road Big Ten team, and that does not sit right with those that view them being among the biggest brands in college football.
Despite going 9-4 in his first season at Alabama, there are not a lot of coaches under more pressure from their fanbase than Kalen DeBoer. The Alabama Crimson Tide are one of the blue blood programs in college football. DeBoer took over last season, following in the footsteps of legendary coach Nick Saban.
Crimson Tide fans are used to be national championship contention every single season and rightfully so. Nick Saban won six national championships with Alabama from 2009-2020. DeBoer’s first year resulted in them missing the 12-team College Football Playoff. If Alabama misses the playoff again next year, the heat will be turned up even more.
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Luke Fickell was viewed as a slam-dunk hire by Wisconsin prior to the 2023 season after a successful tenure with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Wisconsin parted with long time coach Paul Chryst, despite the Badgers making a bowl in every season he was there. The Badgers in fact had made a bowl game in every season dating back to 2001 until that streak was snapped in 2024, with Wisconsin going 5-7.
Fickell was hired to take Wisconsin to the next level as a program, but as of now if anything, they have gone backwards.
Brent Venables has been the coach in Norman for three seasons, with two of those being losing years. Oklahoma looked completely outmatched in the SEC during the 2024 season and had a conference record of 2-6. Meanwhile, their biggest rival the Texas Longhorns, also made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC. Texas made it all the way to the SEC title game and College Football Playoff Semifinals.
That doesn’t bode well for Venable’s standing with Sooners fans moving forward.
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USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Facing Most Pressure After High-Stakes Move
The college football world was rocked when Lincoln Riley, the highly successful head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, made the surprising decision to leave for the USC Trojans. With such a bold move comes immense pressure for Riley to succeed in his new role, as expectations are sky-high for the Trojans program.
Riley inherits a program with a rich history and tradition, but one that has struggled in recent years to live up to its lofty standards. USC fans are hungry for a return to glory, and they are looking to Riley to be the one to lead them back to national prominence.
Not only does Riley have the weight of USC’s expectations on his shoulders, but he also faces the challenge of navigating the ultra-competitive landscape of college football in the modern era. The Trojans will have to compete against powerhouse programs like Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson for top recruits and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Riley’s track record of success at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to multiple Big 12 championships and playoff appearances, has raised the bar even higher for what USC fans expect from him. Anything short of immediate success could lead to questions about whether Riley was the right choice for the Trojans.
As he settles into his new role in Los Angeles, all eyes will be on Lincoln Riley to see if he can handle the pressure and deliver the results that USC fans are craving. The stakes are high, but if anyone has the talent and determination to succeed, it’s Riley. Only time will tell if he can live up to the massive expectations placed upon him.
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