Dan Mullen Asks Whether Lincoln Riley’s on Hot Seat As UCLA Blows Past USC

ESPN college football analyst Dan Mullen asked one simple question late on Saturday afternoon:

“Are we sure that they have the right coach on the hot seat in LA,” Mullen posted on X.

Mullen’s post was sent in the midst of UCLA blowing the doors off USC, a game which the Bruins won 38–20 at the Coliseum to send the Trojans cratering to a 7-5 record.

All week, the focus was on reports of Chip Kelly’s job security at UCLA, as he entered the game against the rival Trojans squarely on the hot seat.

Following the game, the heat has instead been placed under the seat of Riley, whose USC team has played poorly in his second year as the school’s coach. USC has fielded one of the worst defenses in the Power Five, and has wasted away what is likely to be quarterback Caleb Williams’s last year at the college level.

Here are some of the best reactions to Mullen’s post, which caught steam on social media following UCLA’s emphatic win against USC.