Four Toughest Coaches the USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley Will Face Off Against

The USC Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley will need to come out with good game plans when facing these opposing coaches.

Nov 11, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talk before a game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley are in for some epic strategic battles this fall.

This 2026 schedule features no shortage of highly decorated coaches Riley and company will encounter. Here are the four hardest coaches USC and Riley must prepare for this season.

Sept. 5: Matt Entz, Fresno State

Sep 6, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs head coach Matt Entz on the field during warmups before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Riley takes on a former assistant of his here. Entz coached the Trojan linebackers for the 2024 season.

But Entz is on his second head coaching stop in California's Central Valley. He previously went 60-11 at North Dakota State including winning the Football Championship Subdivision National Championships in 2019 and 2021. He left the Bison after the 2023 season to join Riley's staff.

Entz delivered a 9-4 season in his first Fresno State campaign. He helped create the nation's 16th best defense in 2025. He brings back defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto plus six returners from that unit in 2026.

Entz's knowledge of Riley's offense, plus his familiarity with most of the Trojans' personnel, makes him the first hardest coaching challenge here.

Sept. 26: Dan Lanning, Oregon

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Games against Oregon and coach Dan Lanning are never fun for both Riley and USC.

Lanning's team has won the last two meetings with Riley on the other side. That includes the 42-27 win Oregon claimed over USC in Eugene last season.

Lanning brings one of the nation's deepest rosters over to Los Angeles for this late September Big Ten showdown. One that features a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Dante Moore, plus two potential first round NFL Draft edge rushers in Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti.

Except Lanning doesn't have his 2025 coordinators Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi on offense and defense, respectively, for this game. Perhaps Riley having new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson on his side could hand USC an edge here. Regardless, Lanning versus Riley is an entertaining Big Ten coaching showdown.

Oct. 31: Ryan Day, Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and mascot Brutus walk across the field as the team arrives prior to the NCAA football game against the Grambling State Tigers at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As decorated both Riley and Day are, here's a stunner: Both past College Football Playoff coaches have never faced each other.

That changes on Halloween night. And this one will also be a battle of which one delivered the better recruiting classes, as both gunned for the top in the last two years.

But this one looks bound to become a chess match between Day and Riley. Especially for the latter as his offense faces a defense that lost three defenders to day one of the NFL Draft.

Ohio State is more than a crucial contest for quarterback Jayden Maiava or the rest of the Trojans. This could be the game that catapults Riley into National Coach of the Year conversations with a victory here.

Nov. 14: Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti during the Indiana football spring game at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 23, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is going to be a dandy, word to the late legendary play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson.

Riley faces another past national title winner here for the first time ever. Plus this marks the first time the Trojans will visit Bloomington since 1981, which was a 21-0 win when the late John Robinson led USC.

But Riley and the Trojans get their first taste of the Cignetti-led Hoosiers. Winning the trenches and turnover battle is paramount here. Yet it'll be fun to see if Riley can out-scheme the highly meticulous Cignetti.

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