Urban Meyer explains why Lincoln Riley is 'safe' at Southern Cal

Urban Meyer doesn’t believe Lincoln Riley is going anywhere — at least not this season.

As speculation swirls around Riley’s future following USC’s uneven start in its second Big Ten campaign, the FOX Sports analyst made it clear he thinks the Trojans’ head coach is secure. During the latest episode of  The Triple Option podcast, Meyer said emphatically, “No chance. No chance. No chance,” when asked whether Riley could be fired in 2025.

The Trojans are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten, but recent losses to Illinois and Notre Dame have fueled talk of another late-season collapse. Despite that, Meyer said firing Riley isn’t realistic given his track record and the financial implications.

“You make a decision, you go back in your office, and do you start calling the billionaires, or the hundreds of millionaires, and say, ‘All right, here we go, I need a check for $20 million,’” Meyer said. “I’m trying to think, what the hell do you do? I need $70 million — there’s not a line item, there are budgets." 

Riley led USC to the Pac-12 Championship Game in his debut season and has produced three straight bowl appearances, including two postseason wins. But after inheriting Heisman winner Caleb Williams and a roster stacked with transfers, his teams have struggled down the stretch each year.

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Meyer has experienced his share of high-stakes coaching expectation and believes USC’s leadership still views Riley as the right long-term fit. Hitting the reset button now is a bigger setback, especially when  the future of the program and and high-paid coach are tied together like that. 

USC is in the midst of a bye week before traveling to Nebraska on Nov. 1 for a key Big Ten matchup under the lights (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC). 

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