Would Lincoln Riley to Baylor Football Make Sense if USC Moves on?

Dave Aranda is the head coach at Baylor, and per his contract, will be that through the 2029 season. But there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Aranda and his place at Baylor. If it wasn't for Mack Rhoades stepping down as the Athletic Director last season, it's possible Aranda wouldn't of been back in Waco.

But Aranda is here and Baylor is out to a 3-1 start — inches away from being undefeated heading into Week 5 against Arizona State. However, the Bears' toughest part of the schedule is ahead. Baylor will play ASU before having four winnable games, and then tests against BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston will come as the final three games.

If Baylor doesn't perform with DJ Lagway at quarterback, along with a re-tooled defense, it's possible Aranda's time is up in Waco.

Lincoln Riley?

If Baylor would part ways with Aranda, one name has already emerged as a possibility. And that's USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

Riley has roughly a $70 million buyout on his contract and both fans and boosters are unhappy with the Trojans. Riley has had just one 10-plus win season since he arrived at USC and the Trojans have yet to make the College Football Playoff. This was supposed to be the year, but USC just suffered a 41-27 loss at home to Oregon.

As things stand now, it appears to be another disappointing season under Riley and the same issues persist. USC can't beat the good teams, and its defense continues to suffer.

USA TODAY Sports points Riley in Baylor's direction

In an interview with Blake Toppmeyer, Paul Myerberg, and Matt Hayes, the trio discussed one school that would make the most sense for Riley, and that's the Baylor Bears.

"If I’m Riley, I’m not walking away from a $70 million buyout. If USC wants him gone, then pay up. If I’m Riley, I say, “If you want to fire me, that’s fine. I’ll take the buyout.” Then, I’d go to Baylor. Riley would solve a problem for Baylor, and it would get Riley back to the Big 12," Hayes said.

"Riley makes a lot of sense for Baylor. He’s from Texas, played under Mike Leach at Texas Tech, and had Big 12 coaching success at Oklahoma. But, if I'm Riley, I'm not going to Baylor without first making USC cut the buyout check."

Riley played the quarterback position at Texas Tech, and really became a known commodity as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. He then became the head coach for the Sooners before taking over the USC job.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning (left) shakes hands with USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Offensive production has never been an issue for Riley. Both Oklahoma and the Trojans were and have been toward the top of leaderboards in every offensive category, but it's his defense that hasn't fared well.

While Baylor fans would be concerned with how well the Bears' defense would fare, the one area that would likely go way up is in recruiting. Riley has been one of the best recruiters and USC just signed the No. 1 ranked class in the 2026 cycle. Obviously, donors and boosters would have to sign up for this, but it's certainly an interesting thought.

A thought that is merely just that, and Dave Aranda can silence all doubts with some big wins in the coming weeks.

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