USC Football 2025: What If Lincoln Riley's Team Isn't Better?

USC's 2025 Season Uncertainty

• 🏈 The 2025 college football season presents a curious case for USC, with potential for a significant backslide if improvement isn't seen.
• 💡 Lincoln Riley's arrival in 2021 was a bombshell, promising an era of explosive offense and dominance for USC, especially with the advent of NIL and the portal.
• 📈 However, USC's record has regressed annually: 11-3 in the first year, 8-5 the next, and 7-6 last year, marked by numerous one-possession losses.

The Chaos Scenario

• ⚠️ The chaos scenario unfolds if USC fails to improve significantly in 2025, potentially going 6-6 or 7-5, falling short of their over/under win total of 8 or 8.5.
• 📉 Such a performance would shatter faith in Lincoln Riley, leading to a cratering of program energy and a potential collapse of their highly-ranked recruiting class.
• 🏟️ This is particularly concerning with the opening of brand new facilities, which are expected to coincide with a resurgence.

Big Ten Competition and Riley's Future

• 🚀 USC's current momentum is built on a highly-ranked recruiting class and a new approach to recruiting, but this is contingent on on-field success.
• 🏈 Competing in the Big Ten means USC cannot afford to stagnate, as other programs will likely pull away if USC falters.
• 🤔 If USC fails to improve, the question of what to do with Lincoln Riley becomes a major, unaddressed dilemma, representing a truly chaotic outcome.