Illinois football schedule: See who the Fighting Illini play in 2025 Big Ten season
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
USC's Lincoln Riley feeling 'refreshed' as pressure mounts to win in Year 4
While the rest of the college football world spent the summer whipped into a frenzy, swept up by the specter of revenue sharing or congressional intervention or one of the many other landscape-altering changes looming over the sport, Lincoln Riley was able to actually step away and take a breath. In four years as USC's coach, Riley hasn't had many chances to really unplug. There was the sprint ahead of his first season, and the heavy portal push ahead of his second. The third came with a new conference, new defense, new expectations, new pressure. The fourth, by comparison, is starting on a more relaxed note than Riley is used to. There were no phone calls taking up half a day of his family vacation. His fly fishing went mostly unbothered. He even golfed at Pebble Beach in May. Read more: Lincoln Riley 'absolutely' wants to keep USC-Notre Dame game on schedule 'I'd say I'm feeling as refreshed and recharged as I've been in a long time,' Riley said Thursday during Big Ten media days. Never mind that the pressure for Riley to win at USC has perhaps never been so high, coming off a 7-6 campaign in which the Trojans needed a comeback bowl win to scrape past .500. The path to winning has arguably never been so uncertain, either, with the advent of revenue sharing completely upending how championship rosters are constructed. In spite of that backdrop, this past summer still felt less daunting to Riley than the rest. He says he didn't feel the offseason chaos that some of colleagues have described in the wake of the House settlement. Some of that added calm he credits to Chad Bowden, USC's new general manager, and his handpicked front office, who have taken personnel matters largely off Riley's plate. Immediately laying claim to the nation's No. 1 recruiting class for 2026 hasn't hurt in building that trust, either. But it's more than that, according to Riley. 'There are less big fixes going on right now, you know?' he said. 'It's like you've got the house built, and it's kind of all about the finishes now. You're not trying to put up a wall or anything like that.' Whether USC is actually that close to being a finished product is up for debate. The Trojans' win total has declined in each of Riley's first three seasons, during which his record is worse than that of his predecessor, Clay Helton. Now the Trojans enter his fourth with a raw, unproven commodity at quarterback, a threadbare linebacker room, and an inexperienced offensive line that could already be down a projected starter. There's also the matter of their fourth-quarter issues last season, which saw the Trojans inexplicably cough up leads in five of their six losses. But Riley looks at it differently. 'It's the first time where we had an opportunity at the end of the game to win every single game that we played,' he said. 'The really good teams separate in a lot of their games, and they win the close games they end up in. That's typically how it happens, and that's what we've got to become. And so the way to do it, every part of your program has to be pretty strong. "We've graduated from being way behind in this area, and being pretty decent in this area to, like, every right now is either good or pretty darn good. Now it's just about taking those small steps in all those areas to, I guess, hypothetically push you over the hump.' The biggest leap in that regard could once again be on defense, where USC went from one of the worst units in the nation in 2023 (121st in scoring defense) to respectable (56th) under defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. That was no small feat, considering where they came from. And the Trojans have added considerable talent to its defense since. The front seven should benefit greatly from the return of linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive end Anthony Lucas from injury. And on the interior, USC brought in two massive transfers on the interior, as well as a five-star freshman. 'I think the depth, the talent level, and the size of the defensive line, I mean, there's honestly really no comparison to this time 12 months ago,' Riley said. But the Trojans' path will inevitably, at some point, come down to their quarterback. Riley reiterated his confidence in Jayden Maiava as the Trojans' starter, even as he once again heaped praise on five-star freshman Husan Longstreet. Left tackle Elijah Paige said Thursday that he has seen a major change in Maiava since he entered the offseason as the presumptive starter. Read more: USC athletics eliminates a dozen jobs as it manages new revenue sharing expenses 'He's taken a complete 180,' Paige said of USC's quarterback. "[In the spring,] he commanded the offense, and that's what this team needs.' Of course, everyone is feeling optimistic this time of year, with more than a month still remaining before USC kicks off against Missouri State. But Riley isn't the only one who feels those finishing touches underway. 'We've gone and gotten some of the very best people in the business,' Riley said. 'They're not going to attach themselves to something where they don't see the progress. 'And you do not get a recruiting class like this unless there's a crazy amount of momentum within the program. Like, I don't care what else you have. If you don't have momentum, you do not get a class like we have.' Sign up for more USC news with Times of Troy. In your inbox every Monday morning. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
USC's Lincoln Riley feeling ‘refreshed' as pressure mounts to win in Year 4
LAS VEGAS — While the rest of the college football world spent the summer whipped into a frenzy, swept up by the specter of revenue sharing or congressional intervention or one of the many other landscape-altering changes looming over the sport, Lincoln Riley was able to actually step away and take a breath. In four years as USC's coach, Riley hasn't had many chances to really unplug. There was the sprint ahead of his first season, and the heavy portal push ahead of his second. The third came with a new conference, new defense, new expectations, new pressure. The fourth, by comparison, is starting on a more relaxed note than Riley is used to. There were no phone calls taking up half a day of his family vacation. His fly fishing went mostly unbothered. He even golfed at Pebble Beach in May. 'I'd say I'm feeling as refreshed and recharged as I've been in a long time,' Riley said Thursday during Big Ten media days. Never mind that the pressure for Riley to win at USC has perhaps never been so high, coming off a 7-6 campaign in which the Trojans needed a comeback bowl win to scrape past .500. The path to winning has arguably never been so uncertain, either, with the advent of revenue sharing completely upending how championship rosters are constructed. In spite of that backdrop, this past summer still felt less daunting to Riley than the rest. He says he didn't feel the offseason chaos that some of colleagues have described in the wake of the House settlement. Some of that added calm he credits to Chad Bowden, USC's new general manager, and his handpicked front office, who have taken personnel matters largely off Riley's plate. Immediately laying claim to the nation's No. 1 recruiting class for 2026 hasn't hurt in building that trust, either. But it's more than that, according to Riley. 'There are less big fixes going on right now, you know?' he said. 'It's like you've got the house built, and it's kind of all about the finishes now. You're not trying to put up a wall or anything like that.' Whether USC is actually that close to being a finished product is up for debate. The Trojans' win total has declined in each of Riley's first three seasons, during which his record is worse than that of his predecessor, Clay Helton. Now the Trojans enter his fourth with a raw, unproven commodity at quarterback, a threadbare linebacker room, and an inexperienced offensive line that could already be down a projected starter. There's also the matter of their fourth-quarter issues last season, which saw the Trojans inexplicably cough up leads in five of their six losses. But Riley looks at it differently. 'It's the first time where we had an opportunity at the end of the game to win every single game that we played,' he said. 'The really good teams separate in a lot of their games, and they win the close games they end up in. That's typically how it happens, and that's what we've got to become. And so the way to do it, every part of your program has to be pretty strong. 'We've graduated from being way behind in this area, and being pretty decent in this area to, like, every right now is either good or pretty darn good. Now it's just about taking those small steps in all those areas to, I guess, hypothetically push you over the hump.' The biggest leap in that regard could once again be on defense, where USC went from one of the worst units in the nation in 2023 (121st in scoring defense) to respectable (56th) under defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. That was no small feat, considering where they came from. And the Trojans have added considerable talent to its defense since. The front seven should benefit greatly from the return of linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive end Anthony Lucas from injury. And on the interior, USC brought in two massive transfers on the interior, as well as a five-star freshman. 'I think the depth, the talent level, and the size of the defensive line, I mean, there's honestly really no comparison to this time 12 months ago,' Riley said. But the Trojans' path will inevitably, at some point, come down to their quarterback. Riley reiterated his confidence in Jayden Maiava as the Trojans' starter, even as he once again heaped praise on five-star freshman Husan Longstreet. Left tackle Elijah Paige said Thursday that he has seen a major change in Maiava since he entered the offseason as the presumptive starter. 'He's taken a complete 180,' Paige said of USC's quarterback. '[In the spring,] he commanded the offense, and that's what this team needs.' Of course, everyone is feeling optimistic this time of year, with more than a month still remaining before USC kicks off against Missouri State. But Riley isn't the only one who feels those finishing touches underway. 'We've gone and gotten some of the very best people in the business,' Riley said. 'They're not going to attach themselves to something where they don't see the progress. 'And you do not get a recruiting class like this unless there's a crazy amount of momentum within the program. Like, I don't care what else you have. If you don't have momentum, you do not get a class like we have.'
NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- NBC Sports
USC-Notre Dame rivalry expires in '26, with no sure bet it will go beyond that
LAS VEGAS — All the reshuffling of schedules, conferences and playoff formats in college football has placed one of the sport's best traditions in peril: the USC-Notre Dame game. The contract for a rivalry that dates to 1926 expires after their game in 2026. Both schools have expressed a willingness to lock down more games, but differences over how many appear to be holding up the negotiations. USC's move to the Big Ten gave the Trojans less flexibility on their non-conference schedule. Big Ten teams have nine conference games and only three open slots. Speaking at Big Ten media days Thursday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said he was, of course, hopeful that the series will continue. But not at any cost. 'I want to play the game. Absolutely. It's one of the reasons I came here,' Riley said. 'But, also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it's not to anybody else. I'm the head football coach at USC, and I'm going to back USC.' Some of the uncertainty revolves around the College Football Playoff. The Trojans have lost six of the last seven against Notre Dame. If CFP leaders decide to award four automatic bids to the Big Ten, which is the conference's preference, a long-term deal to play the Irish might be more palatable to USC. A system with more at-large bids, however, would make it more difficult, from a CFP standpoint, to absorb a non-conference loss. An (entertaining and much better) encore for UCLA's Foster If UCLA improves on the field as much as coach DeShaun Foster did behind the mic at Big Ten media days, this could be a good year for the Bruins. Foster spoke Thursday and made fun of his 2024 appearance, which included a cringeworthy 72-second opening statement highlighted by this observation about the program he was taking over: 'I'm sure you guys don't know much about UCLA, our football program, but we're in LA.' In heading to the lectern Thursday, Foster didn't shy from that moment. He acknowledged he took some ribbing from players and others after last year's effort. 'Last year I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in L.A.., which, looking back, might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,' Foster said. 'But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in L.A., and we're proud to be in L.A.' Underneath all those laughs, though, was a serious message. Foster, embarking on his second season at Westwood, said the moment 'taught me a valuable lesson. Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection.' He faces a big challenge. The Bruins haven't won a conference title since 1998 and haven't played on Jan. 1 since that season's Rose Bowl. Bolstering UCLA's hopes is the arrival of quarterback Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee. Iamaleava helped the Vols make the College Football Playoff last year. Northwestern video vibes Preston Stone is a good ol' Texas boy who starred in high school for Parish Episcopal and then spent four years at SMU. After entering the transfer portal following last season, however, he finally got to visit a team he once admired from afar — behind a video-game controller when he was 11 years old. 'For absolutely no reason whatsoever, when I was a little kid playing NCAA 14, I would always be Northwestern,' Stone said. 'They had really cool black uniforms and they had a fast quarterback in Kain Colter, who I used to love playing with in the game.' So, after touring the campus and meeting Wildcats coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, Stone was sold on transferring from the Lone Star State to Evanston, Illinois. 'Facilities are incredible, I think we have the best indoor in the whole country,' Stone said. 'You could feel a level of sincerity from coach Braun. That was just different. And first meeting coach Lujan, you could tell from the first couple minutes with him, how incredibly smart of an offensive mind he is. I knew that if I came here they were going to set me up for success.' Son of 'Chocolate Thunder' returns to Penn State Penn State's Nick Dawkins, the son of NBA legend Daryl Dawkins, will be one of four returning starters on the offensive line this season. That might not have been the case had the Nittany Lions not lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. 'After that game specifically, I was pretty dead set after that for sure,' Dawkins said of his decision to return. 'I had some thoughts prior to the season ending, from a personal standpoint for my NFL Draft stock, if it would be the best decision to come back. But when something like that happens, it kind of trumps all the individual stuff. Dawkins said it became more about the legacy of Penn State football and what he wanted to leave behind for the program's history. 'My whole life, I've been representing my last name, and my last name has had so much legacy and worth attached to it before,' said Dawkins, an all-Big Ten honorable mention last season. 'I've always been a part of something bigger than myself, and that's how I view my life, and Penn State falls right into that category.'
