The Pacific coast has been yearning for some respite through adversity. Southern Cali is in need of a beacon of hope, and sports can help alleviate the pain inflicted by the real world. The wildfires that struck the greater LA area were a travesty. To add to the misery, the USC Trojans are in a state of turmoil, too. They say the night is darkest before dawn, and for good reason. Peek over the proverbial horizon. Lincoln Riley, the Trojans faithful,l and the city have some good news beckoning.

Under Lincoln Riley, USC has had a conspicuous downward spiral year after year. They’ve gone from 11 wins to 8 and now to 7. This recruitment cycle has been an unmitigated disaster. Only 5 out of the top-15 rated recruits that joined under Lincoln Riley now remain at USC. He’s even lost his best receiver, Zachariah Branch. With NIL the name of the game now, a turnaround requires more than just coach Riley’s recruitment prowess. Finances are requisite, and the school realizes this. Their decision to realign to the B1G has afforded them some help in this regard.

Despite a poor season, the fervor around USC remains better than ever. They’ve raked in $100 million from the Big 10’s TV revenue share. Relative to other teams in and around the conference, the Trojans have come out with more green than most programs. This affords Lincoln Riley an advantage on the NIL front. He needs all the help he can garner. USC’s lineage and stature in the grand scheme of CFP have inadvertently presented them with an opportunity to get ahead of the opportunity. This gaudy figure was relayed by Trojans’ insider “USCJ LOST IN THE SAUCE” on YouTube. In addition to this bit of intel, there is one more silver lining for coach USC’s NIL ventures.

All the teams in the CFP were carrying the baton for their respective conferences. As per the stipulations in place, the conferences of each participant were awarded a payout. This payout is then distributed across the conference to each member, regardless of whether they made the playoffs. The CFP paid conferences depending on how far a member made it. $4 million for firstly making the CFP. Then, an additional $4 million for making round 2, and then $6 million each for making the semis and the championship. $20 million has been given to the Big 10 thanks to Ohio State alone, plus more for PSU and Oregon. Lincoln Riley and USC, therefore, became ancillary beneficiaries of this stipulation.

Despite this influx of cash, the program is not resting on its laurels. The gap between them and the top of the B1G is too big right now, and marginal monetary gains won’t suffice in closing it down. Therefore, Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen is seeking to strike while the iron is hot. With the House Settlement imminently going to restructure things with the introduction of revenue sharing, USC is making contingency plans already.

Lincoln Riley’s football program slated to receive the lion’s share of USC’s revenue share

AD Cohen is acting proactively before the new legislature around how players are paid kicks in this summer. She laid out the skeleton of how the school is preparing for April’s expected verdict. “Championship programs require championship resources, and as we invest the full permissible $20.5 million in 2025-26, we must prioritize more strategically and operate more efficiently than ever before.” she said in The State of Troy open letter. Each School will have to allot $20.5 million across their different sports programs to pay student-athletes. Cohen also particularly hauled the hiring of new linebackers coach Rob Ryan, with a Super Bowl and 24 years of NFL coaching in various capacities under his belt. So what piece of this $20.5 million pie does Lincoln Riley and Rob Ryan’s program receive? The aforementioned USC J leveraged his discernment.

Cohen mentioned that “Maximizing our investment in USC Football – whose success generates the revenue that supports broad-based excellence in all our sports – is critical.” With “critical” being the operative word here, the insider came to a rational conclusion. “It sounds like $15 million of that could possibly go to football and the rest be divided up. I mean, let’s face it. Football drives the University.” he said. USC J also proceeded to caveat this, stating “I’m not saying [$15 million] is exactly how it’s going to be all the way.”

Revenue-sharing is going to equalize the playing field a little bit. In theory, USC shouldn’t want that. They’ve historically held advantages over their adversaries on the recruitment front owing to geography and other factors. However, they’ll welcome the idea of parity in the predicament they currently are. Lincoln Riley’s seat continues to get warmer with every shortcoming, and there’ve been plenty of them. He’ll seek to take advantage of his newfound riches from the B1G and the CFP in the portal before it’s rendered futile after a few months.