A season defined by what-ifs the former Tech QB turned Trojans coach is left short on inches and moments. For USC, this season has felt like a never-ending chess match, where every move is calculated, but somehow, the endgame always slips away. Boss Lincoln Riley, has been tantalizingly close, both in leading every yet, heartbreakingly, ending up losing it and in leading the speculation surrounding his future in LA.

Josh Pate, CBS Sports analyst and host of Late Kick Live, dropped a stat on X that covers the said pain about Lincoln Riley and boys’ 2024 pain. “Six FBS teams have led in every 4th quarter this season. USC is one of them… USC has 5 losses. The other five teams have 5 losses combined.” Ouch. It’s a devastating truth for a program that, just last year, seemed poised to rewrite its narrative. With a 6-5 record, the Trojans’ Playoff aspirations are a distant memory because of this reason and more, while their rivals, No.5 Notre Dame, march confidently toward a potential postseason bid. As they prepare to fight the Fighting Irish this upcoming Sunday.

What makes this season sting even more is how close USC came to solving its Achilles’ heel: defense. Under defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the Trojans have tightened their grip on opponents, allowing 21.3 points per game—over a 13-point improvement from the 34.4 they surrendered last year. This was supposed to be the turnaround year, the one where Jaylin Smith has been USC’s top cornerback with 50 tackles and two interceptions. But they haven’t been a defense capable of holding the line. They have been worse, ranked 93rd in the country in defense of this year. But while the numbers improved, the results didn’t match the narrative.

Their QB play has been another story under HC Lincoln Riley. After benching Miller Moss in favor of UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, the Trojans found some stability under center. Maiava’s steady performances—like his 259-yard, three-touchdown showing against Nebraska—gave USC hope in a turbulent season. But even his emergence wasn’t enough to prevent USC’s slide. The Trojans dropped five of their last six games in 2022, and 2023 feels like déjà vu, albeit with a slightly shinier defense.

Notre Dame, with its No. 6 playoff ranking and a 10-1 record, represents the final boss in USC’s gauntlet. A win would be a sweet salve for the Trojans’ wounds, but it won’t rewrite the harsh truths of 2023. The offense couldn’t stay consistent, the defense—despite strides—couldn’t carry the weight, and the fourth quarters that should have been USC’s crowning moments instead became their undoing. With that said, their head coach’s crowning can be done somewhere far from LA if things continue like this.

Just a change of letter for Lincoln Riley, a big difference for USC

It hasn’t exactly been sunny skies for Lincoln Riley at USC since the Caleb Williams era ended. Despite a glittering resume from his Oklahoma days, whispers of Riley possibly moving on from Los Angeles are growing louder. And hey, where there’s smoke, there’s speculation! Mike Huessman of Mike Farrell Sports suggests the University of North Carolina might be an intriguing landing spot for Riley, especially since UNC just parted ways with their head coach, Mack Brown.

While Riley is still sitting on a hefty $88 million buyout clause if USC decides to part ways, there’s chatter that he might want a fresh start elsewhere if things don’t look like they’re turning around in Trojan territory. Heusmann speculated that “Riley may feel that long term it is never going to work, if that is the case then the Trojan brass may be happy to just cut ties, so they avoid having to pay him a buyout in the future… for UNC and Lincoln I’d like the idea.”

Both the program’s Playoff dreams and their head coach’s future look to be in hot waters at the moment.