Behind Enemy Lines: Does UCLA Wire think Lincoln Riley is toast?

First things first: USC has to deliver the goods in 2026 before we talk about 2027 or 2028. There. We said it. Now we can look ahead a little bit with UCLA Wire editor Dylan McNeill in our August Behind Enemy Lines series. We asked McNeill if Lincoln Riley and Bob Chesney will both coach at USC and UCLA in 2028. In other words, we wondered if McNeill thinks Riley will still be on the job in Los Angeles. "If the expectation is College Football Playoffs or bust for Lincoln Riley at USC then I'm not totally sure," McNeill told us. "USC has Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State on their Big Ten schedule this season and they will likely need to win at least one of those games to reach the playoffs and have Riley keep his job. Let’s say that the Trojans can win one of those games and sneak into the CFP, allowing Riley to stick around with USC. I think Chesney is a near sure thing for UCLA in 2028. Even if he were to jump to a better destination, it still might take him three seasons with the Bruins before being able to do so." Here's the thing with Lincoln Riley and USC: He can miss the playoff this year but still get a chance to coach USC in 2027 if he goes 9-3. If he goes 8-4, he might be gone. If he goes 7-5 this year, he should definitely be gone. If Riley is at least able to get a 2027 season at USC, then everyone in the room, everyone in the university, would agree he absolutely has to make the playoff in 2027 to stay on the job into 2028. He must make the College Football Playoff in the next two seasons, period. Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Does UCLA Wire think Lincoln Riley is toast?