Urban Meyer Roasts Lincoln Riley At USC, Forgets Recent Ohio State History

Legendary former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer joined Colin Cowherd this week and had some harsh words for Lincoln Riley and the job he's done over the first three years in Los Angeles.

Cowherd asked him about Riley's future with the USC Trojans, after another disappointing 2024 season that ended in a 6-6 record. 

"At some point, when does the hammer come down," Cowherd asked. "What if they go 8-5, is that good enough?"

Meyer was pretty blunt in response: "I guess the way I've always looked at USC is I equate them to Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, and Florida," he said. "I've always looked at USC as one of the top five jobs in America. I've got a lot of respect for Lincoln Riley, and I promised myself I would never call for jobs — because I'm not gonna do that. However, when seven (or) eight wins is acceptable at USC, that's when I don't know. I don't agree with that.

"I think you take a five-hour net and drop it on USC and you see the best players in the country. ... They have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country right now. Shouldn't they have that every year? I mean, USC is USC."

He's got a point; USC is USC, and the standards for that job are extremely high. But he doesn't have to go too far back to see when Ohio State put up with an 8-5 type season. And it worked out pretty well for the Buckeyes.

Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Urban Meyer Right To Call Out Lincoln Riley, Wrong About Ohio State

In 2004, then-Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel went 8-4 in his fourth season in Columbus. He lost games to Northwestern and Purdue that season, and an NCAA probe based on allegations of improper conduct. The Buckeyes though, stuck with him. 

He coached six more seasons at Ohio State, losing just 10 total regular season games over the remainder of his tenure. So yeah, there is a track record of seeing what happens winning just 8 games at Ohio State. 

Still, Meyer's right to say that Riley's rapidly approaching the hot seat. His first season at SC was a Caleb Williams injury away from a playoff berth, but since then, the Trojans have been either underdone by atrocious defenses, or a difficult schedule and historic futility in the fourth quarter. 

Riley's had legitimate complaints about USC's poor NIL efforts, among other structural problems, but under new AD Jenn Cohen, those have been addressed. To the point where SC currently has the top overall recruiting class for 2026. 

An easier schedule for 2025 should lead to a better record regardless, but the Trojans might be more competitive in 2026 when their beefed up recruiting kicks in. Given his massive buyout, Riley's likely to see next year, no matter what. But if there isn't substantial improvement soon, Meyer's ominous warning is almost certainly going to prove accurate.