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In a college football season defined by unpredictability, USC head coach Lincoln Riley delivered a scripted response following the most important win of his five-year tenure with the Trojans. After his team upset No. 2 Ohio State, 30-18, on Saturday night, Riley pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read a prepared statement during his postgame news conference.
"This program's built on internal joy, not external applause," Riley said, initially stumbling over the line before correcting himself. He continued: "This win's for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, admin, all the people within the walls. I said before this game that I'm the right person for this job, and as long as all those people know that, that's all I care about. I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does, I appreciate our kids and our staff, and I'm going to continue to fight on because that's what being a Trojan is all about."
The remarks seemed to come from a coach fully aware of his precarious standing. It is highly unlikely Riley composed those words in the moments after the game, suggesting he had them ready beforehand—perhaps regardless of the outcome. A victory that handed Ohio State its worst loss in four years might have warranted a more spontaneous reaction, but Riley may have feared speaking off the cuff and saying something he would later regret.
Notably absent from the statement was any mention of the USC fan base, which celebrated in a light Halloween rain and eventually rushed the field—albeit in a relaxed, Southern California style. That field storm followed a tense exchange between Riley and Ohio State staffers as both sides tried to exit. The historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has only one tunnel for entry and exit, and the congestion was comparable to postgame traffic on the I-405.
With his family nearby, Riley appeared to exchange words with former Ohio State star running back Maurice Clarett, at one point placing his left hand on Clarett's right shoulder and pushing him aside before brushing past associate athletic director Quinn Tempel. It was another strange chapter in a place where normalcy seems elusive.
Regardless of Riley's motivation for the prepared speech, it was an oddly stiff ending to a spectacular night for the Trojans—a night that highlighted the potential USC had largely wasted through its first seven games. How the same team that managed no plays longer than 15 yards in a ugly loss to Wisconsin one week could then shred a highly regarded Buckeyes defense for gains of 70, 69, 44, 21 and 20 the next is a complete mystery.
But mystery has been the theme of the 2026 season. No one can predict what will happen from week to week. The better a team looks one Saturday, the more likely it is to stumble the next—or vice versa. As of today, USC stands at 7-2, remains in the Big Ten race, and has renewed College Football Playoff viability. Ohio State, meanwhile, is 6-2 and in playoff trouble.
For all practical purposes, the résumé the Buckeyes will present to the CFP selection committee for its first rankings on Tuesday night reads 0-1. This was their first game without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, who is not expected to return this season, and Ohio State failed the test.
However, quarterback play was not Ohio State's biggest problem. Freshman Luke Fahey, making his first college start, performed admirably—throwing for 260 yards on 21-of-38 passing with zero turnovers. "He battled his butt off," tight end Mason Williams said. "When you get a freshman starting quarterback in a big game like that, when you get what you got out of him today, we got to be able to do our jobs."
They did not. In a game where the Buckeyes needed to support their rookie starter, they let him down. USC produced big plays throughout. An Ohio State defense that entered the day as one of two teams nationally to have allowed zero scrimmage plays of 40 yards or longer surrendered two such plays: a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown by receiver Trent Mosley on the second play of the game, and a 70-yard catch-run-hurdle-rumble by tight end Mark Bowman. A unit that had given up just three runs of 20-plus yards in seven games allowed two to the Trojans, including a third-and-19 draw play for 21 yards that set up a field goal drive.
"A little lack of effort on our end," said Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain, specifically referring to Mosley's touchdown reception. That was not all. A punt coverage team that had given up a total of 27 return yards on the season watched Mosley shred them for 44 to set up a short-field touchdown drive. The Ohio State offensive line had a crippling succession of pre-snap penalties that stalled drives, forcing the Buckeyes to kick four field goals. Receiver Chris Henry Jr. and running back Bo Jackson dropped passes in key situations.
"It's extremely frustrating coming into a game like this with a young quarterback and not play cleaner," coach Ryan Day said. "The penalties were not good."
The CFP selection committee is tasked with evaluating the teams that will be on the field come playoff time. Ohio State with Sayin was 6-1, ranked No. 2 in the polls, with a road win over Indiana and a one-point loss at Texas. That team was a playoff lock. Ohio State without Sayin is 0-1, losing by a dozen points to a team that lost to Wisconsin by 17 and Oregon by 14. Given that dichotomy, what the committee does with the Buckeyes on Tuesday night will be fascinating. The entire Top 25 will be a jumbled mess, ripe for second-guessing, but weighing Ohio State's body of work against its uncertain future is the most pressing question in the sport.
This much seems certain: a third loss is fatal for a team that began the season ranked No. 1. It's quite likely that there will be at least one, and perhaps multiple, three-loss teams in the 12-team field come Selection Sunday. But a three-loss Ohio State that lacks its starting quarterback won't be one of them.
"Our backs are against the wall," said offensive lineman Austin Siereveld. The schedule is full of flawed but dangerous opponents: Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and rival Michigan.
For Riley, he finally pushed his back off the wall and took a big step forward. With freshmen like Mosley, Bowman and defensive end Luke Wafle, the future looks dazzling—but here in Year 5, many USC fans are tired of waiting for Riley to deliver. A portentous November looms for the Trojans and their coach, who couldn't quite allow himself to enjoy his best moment yet on the job.