USC Trojans Snubbed From Best College Football Coaching Jobs

The USC Trojans football program is one of the most historic and prestigious programs in the country. However, that doesn’t mean everybody thinks the the job is still one of the best in college football. Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman both cover college football for On3 and neither have USC ranked in the their top ten of college football jobs.

USC Trojans Snubbed From Top Ten Job List?

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leaves the field after the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman each left USC out of their top ten college football jobs during their show “Andy and Ari” earlier this week.

Both Andy Staples & Ari Wasserman of On3 view Oregon as the 4th best job in CFB and the 2nd best in the Big Ten.

Clearing programs like Notre Dame & Alabama speaks to the growth of Duck Football. pic.twitter.com/OEfNsMiY7d
— Ted Leroux (@TedontheDucks) May 7, 2025

Staples rankings had No.1 as Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Clemson, and No. 10 Penn State.

Wasserman’s rankings were very similar with No. 1 as Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Notre Dame, and No. 10 Oklahoma.

Staples and Wasserman ranked these jobs based on multiple factors; the jobs that provide the best position to win a national title and opportunity for long term success. USC did not make the cut.

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USC's History of Winning

Nov 7, 2009; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Pete Carroll reacts after the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. USC defeated Arizona State 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It has been a long time since USC football was consistently in the race for national titles and conference championships. Since Pete Carroll left USC for the NFL in 2009, the Trojans have only had five seasons in which they won ten games. During this time, USC has only won one conference title (2017 Pac-12 Championship) and has not appeared in a College Football Playoff game or a BCS National Championship game. They made one Rose Bowl and two Cotton Bowls.

In comparison, under Carroll from 2001 through 2009, USC had seven straight seasons win which they won at least 11 games. The Trojans also won the Pac-10 conference seven times, while also winning two national titles, with four Rose Bowl wins, and two Orange Bowl wins.

Furthermore, even before the Carroll era, USC was still a premier program. USC has the most all-time Rose Bowl Game appearances with 34 and Rose Bowl Game wins with 25. They also have the most Heisman Trophy winners of any school with eight and have the second most players drafted into the NFL all-time with 530, only behind Notre Dame’s 532.

Can USC Get Back to the Mountain Top?

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley holds the championship trophy after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Coach Lincoln Riley has been tasked with getting USC back to the promised land. Riley is entering his fourth season in Los Angeles. His overall record with USC is 26-14.

USC made a big move earlier this offseason, hiring general manager Chad Bowden. Riley, Bowden, and the rest of the brass at USC has a lot of work to do to get USC back to being a powerhouse.