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Lincoln Riley talks state of USC program at Big Ten spring meetings
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- Lincoln Riley talks state of USC program at Big Ten spring meetings
The 2026 season will be a crucial one for USC head coach Lincoln Riley. While the Trojans are now recruiting at an elite level , through four years under Riley, USC has yet to win a conference championship or make the College Football Playoff. Entering this season, there is real pressure on Riley to finally meet the level of winning that was expected from him when he was hired back in 2021.
At the Big Ten's spring meetings this week, Riley spoke with ESPN and CBS about the USC program's trajectory.
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"We have absolutely taken steps now," Riley said. "Honestly, now it's just time to go do it. It's time. The program's ready for it.
"I caught some flack for saying ... that I thought we had opened up a window, but it's just true. said. "It's how I feel. And I feel like I've got a little bit of credibility in terms of having been in part of some places that did that at a pretty high level.
"I've told people, there was almost like a feeling when you first got here, you're standing in front of a dam and there's just leaks, and you plug one leak and another one pops. It's not perfect, but there's not many leaks any more."
Riley certainly believes that this year's USC team has what it takes to achieve a breakthrough. Now it is up to the Trojans to prove him right—and their doubters wrong—on the field.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley is optimistic about USC football entering 2026
