Saturday's college football slate is packed with high-stakes matchups. Tennessee hosts top-ranked Texas with College GameDay in town, while Ole Miss and Florida clash later in "The Swamp." Iowa heads to Ann Arbor to take on the undefeated Wolverines, and Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers host Mike Elko's Aggies in Death Valley. But the day's biggest showdown may come in Los Angeles, California, where Oregon and USC revive their storied Pac-12 rivalry, this time as Big Ten foes.
With less than 24 hours until kickoff, ESPN's Pete Thamel made clear just how much is riding on this game for Lincoln Riley. "If they lose Saturday, it's reasonable to say that Lincoln Riley is on the hot seat," Thamel said. "He's obviously been good, but he's not been great, and he's not been to the playoffs.
And simply put, they did not hire him to be just good. The number to fire Lincoln Riley is $72 million ... That is a Jimbo Fisher-esque number that is going to weigh in on the calculus." More news: Mississippi State AD Sends Strong Signal on Kamario Taylor’s Future Expectations were sky-high when Riley left Oklahoma for USC in 2022.
He'd led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff three times in five years and was viewed as one of the best offensive minds in college football. USC handed him a reported 10-year, $110 million deal with the hope that he could quickly turn the Trojans back into a national title contender. The early returns were promising.
He went 11-3 in his first year at USC and coached quarterback Caleb Williams to a Heisman Trophy. Since then, Riley has gone 24-15 over the last three seasons, and even with the expanded 12-team playoff format, USC still hasn't made the College Football Playoff under him. The Trojans are off to a hot 4-0 start this season, but anything short of the CFP could see Riley out by the end of this season.
More news: Josh Heupel’s Bold Faizon Brandon Praise Has Tennessee Fans Fired Up More news: Pete Golding, Ole Miss Put on Upset Alert 1 Week After Taking Down LSU Jimbo Fisher still holds the all-time record for the biggest buyout in history, with Texas A&M paying him a reported $76.8 million when they fired him in 2023. Brian Kelly sits second at $53.8 million after his tenure at LSU fizzled out last season. But according to Thamel, USC would be on the hook for around $72 million to fire Riley, just under Fisher's monster buyout.
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