Three reasons why Lincoln Riley is NOT on the hot seat this season

No. 2 - Transition to the Big Ten buys Lincoln Riley time

Moving to the Big Ten Conference involves new variables and surroundings USC will need time to adjust to. The Trojans must adapt to the Big Ten style of football, new recurring opponents, and more significant travel for road games.

Another factor is USC's nine-game in-conference schedule as Big Ten members.

One reason the Trojans attempted to back out of their Week 1 neutral site game against LSU is their in-conference schedule. USC is already slated for a significant non-conference game against Notre Dame. The agreement to play the Tigers was made well before conference realignment.

Nevertheless, Lincoln Riley will be given the benefit of the doubt in his first season leading USC as a Big Ten program. We can envision the excuses coming out of the Southern California athletic department now:

"We have to do a better job preparing our student-athletes for significant travel across the country."

"This was the toughest schedule our program has faced in years."

There are also many potential excuses regarding Riley's changes to the defensive side of the ball. We are optimistic that new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn will turn the Trojan defense around like he did UCLA's. However, Lynn needed one season to implement his scheme and find the right defenders.

USC fans don't have the appetite for any more excuses, considering the Alex Grinch experience. For all we know, athletic director Jennifer Cohen doesn't either. But regardless of the Trojans' on-field results in 2024, there's one more reason why Riley's job is safe for 2025.