Urban Meyer, ESPN Insider Confirm Trouble for Big Ten HC With $72M Buyout: Report

Lincoln Riley has reached the part of the USC job where an undefeated start does not quiet the noise. The Trojans are 4-0, ranked No. 12, and averaging 43 points a game. But now comes Oregon. The No. 20 Ducks are headed to the Coliseum on Saturday, and the game has suddenly become much bigger than a normal September matchup. 

On The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Urban Meyer was asked whether a USC loss could have administrators talking about Lincoln Riley’s future before they even leave the stadium. While making it clear he respects Riley and coaches in general, he eventually acknowledged the stakes.

“I just hate that because I’m a coach’s coach and I respect Lincoln Riley,” he said. “But I think the answer is yes because you got some tough ones coming up for USC now.”

The opening four games have bought some breathing room, but Oregon could take it away. The Ducks are not arriving with the same aura they carried into the season, either. They’re 2-1, and its early stumble has made this matchup look more reachable for USC than many expected. The Trojans will not get many opportunities like this once the schedule turns nasty. Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana are still ahead.

“This is low-hanging fruit right now for USC because normally it would not be, and maybe Oregon finds a rhythm, but I hate to say it,” he added. “But I think this is one of those games for Lincoln Riley. He has to win it now.”

That is a pretty blunt assessment from Urban Meyer. There is also the history with Oregon. USC has lost eight of its last 10 meetings with the Ducks, while Lincoln Riley has yet to beat Oregon as the Trojans’ head coach. So this is not simply about protecting an unbeaten record. It is about finally changing a matchup that has gone badly for USC. ESPN insider Pete Thamel pushed the same conversation even further. 

“If they lose Saturday, it’s reasonable to say Lincoln Riley is on the hot seat,” he said on ESPN College Football. “He’s obviously been good, but he’s not been great, and he’s not been to the playoff. And simply put, they did not hire him to be just good. The number to fire Lincoln Riley is $72 million. So as much as he has been good, that is an extreme amount of money.

That $72 million number is a giant roadblock for USC. To understand how crazy that figure is, look at USC’s own history. When the school finally cut ties with former coach Clay Helton, his buyout was around $12 million, and people thought that was a fortune. Paying $72 million today is nearly equal to Jimbo Fisher’s famous $76.8 million exit check at Texas A&M, which stands as the largest buyout in college football history. USC has the money, but writing a check that size makes everyone pause.

The main problem for Lincoln Riley is that USC bought a coach who built his name on reaching the big stage. Back at Oklahoma, Riley went to the College Football Playoff three times in four years. USC gave him top dollar to bring that same magic to Los Angeles, a proud program that has surprisingly never made the Playoff era grid. Instead, sitting at 35-18 without a single Playoff ticket feels like a failed promise to Trojan fans.

A win against Oregon gives Lincoln Riley a signature result and sends USC into the brutal stretch with real momentum. A loss leaves a different conversation. The Trojans would still have plenty of football left, but the questions around the head coach would get louder, and the $72 million figure would sit right in the middle of them.

For now, USC is undefeated. But Saturday is where the season starts asking harder questions. And according to Urban Meyer and Pete Thamel, Lincoln Riley may not have much room for another answer.

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