UCLA's Upset Win Over Penn State Has Implications For USC's Lincoln Riley

The USC Trojans have an 0-4 record vs. top 10 teams in the Lincoln Riley era. USC's crosstown rival, the UCLA Bruins just stunned the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions to pick up their first win this season. When will Lincoln Riley pick up his signature win?

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts during the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans under coach Lincoln Riley are 0-4 vs. teams ranked in the top 10. This includes losses in 2023 to the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks and in 2024 to the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

On the other side of town, the UCLA Bruins led by interim coach Tim Skipper over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. Riley is still seeking his first top 10 win as coach in Los Angeles. 

UCLA Stuns No. 7 Penn State

Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper (left) and new offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel (right) on the sideline during second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins pulled arguably the most stunning upset of the college football season with their 42-35 win over the No. 7 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. UCLA came into the game with an 0-4 record and were a massive underdog. Not only did they cover, they lead the entire game en route to their victory in front of their home fans at the Rose Bowl. 

It was an emotional day for UCLA, who not only was lead by the interim Skipper, but also assistant coach Jerry Neuheisel. He is the son of former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel.

Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) drops back to pass during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Penn State was coming off a loss to the Oregon Ducks last week during their White Out game in double-overtime and were looking to get right against a winless UCLA team that fired their coach a couple weeks ago. They ended up suffering maybe the worst loss of the James Franklin era. 

The Nittany Lions were one of the big favorites to compete for the national championship. After suffering these back-to-back-losses, their hopes of just getting to the playoff are starting to feel very grim.

As Penn State coach, James Franklin has struggled to win games over highly ranked teams but was able to win the games he should. That was not the case against UCLA.

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Lincoln Riley Seeking Signature Win At USC

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

There have been ups and downs in the Lincoln Riley era with USC since he took over prior to the 2022 season. In year one with Riley, USC went from 4-8 the season prior to 11-1 in the regular season in 2022. They came up just short of a College Football Playoff performance, losing in the Pac-12 championship game to the Utah Utes. 

Since then, USC has gone 7-5 and 6-6 in the regular season.

Riley has yet to have his signature win with USC. He has handful of very good wins including his opening week win in 2024 against LSU Tigers. What is still missing is that big win over a top ranked team. 

Looking at USC’s schedule for the remainder of this season, it appears they will have an opportunity to to knock off a highly ranked team when they travel to Eugene to play the Oregon Ducks in late November. 

Oregon is currently ranked No. 2 in the country and looks like a real threat to win a national championship. Can USC spoil the party and pick up a huge win for the program?