Lincoln Riley Up For Prestigious Award Amid Hot Seat Rumors

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was subject to hot seat conversations when the team lost to the Oregon Ducks earlier in the season, but USC is currently 6-1 with everything on the table for the Trojans, still. Many individual awards are still up for grabs for the Trojans with multiple true freshmen standing out and quarterback Jayden Maiava impressing, but USC coach Lincoln Riley was recently named to the watchlist for the 2026 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award.

Riley is joined by 28 other coaches on the watchlist for the prestigious award, joined by coaches like Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Ohio State's Ryan Day, Miami's Mario Cristobal, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman and more.

usc trojans lincoln riley award watchlist coach of the year big ten schedule ohio state indiana jayden maiava ryan day — Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor coach Bryant's legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement. Since its inception, the awards have united the football community in support of the Association's lifesaving work," USC described in a release, announcing the news.

At 6-1, the Trojans are set to face the Wisconsin Badgers on the road in prime time with another 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on NBC. Still on the schedule are No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Indiana, and No. 9 UCLA, giving the Trojans multiple opportunities to make a statement and potentially climb into the top 10 of the AP Poll.

The College Football Playoff rankings will become the more important ones as the Trojans are eager to reach the first CFP appearance in program history. In addition to the 12-team playoff, a Big Ten Championship appearance is still on the table for Riley and company. Some clarity will be reached as the calendar turns to November, but USC has a small margin for error after losing to the Ducks.

The difficulty of winning consistently in college football was on display on Saturday, Oct. 17, with a historic number of top-10 teams in the AP Poll losing. The Trojans were off, enjoying their first of two bye weeks on the season, but USC will pick things back up against the Badgers.

According to Riley, the bye week led to an impressive practice for USC:

"Our Sunday night practice was phenomenal. Probably the best one we've had all year. You can tell the guys recharged. Bodies were feeling very good."

Will that translate to Saturday's matchup with Wisconsin?

Paul 'Bear' Bryant Coach of the Year Watchlist

David Braun, Northwestern
Troy Calhoun, Air Force
Bob Chesney, UCLA
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Mario Cristobal, Miami
Spencer Danielson, Boise State
Ryan Day, Ohio State
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri
Jason Eck, New Mexico
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Willie Fritz, Houston
Pete Golding, Ole Miss
Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Charles Huff, Memphis
Rhett Lashlee, SMU
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
Billy Napier, James Madison
Tim Polasek, North Dakota State
Lincoln Riley, USC
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Morgan Scalley, Utah
Kalani Sitake, BYU
Kirby Smart, Georgia
Will Stein, Kentucky

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