Josh Pate Pulls No Punches On Program With College Football's No. 1 Recruiting Class After Week 4 Loss

Josh Pate is selling his stock on this Big Ten power following its underwhelming start to the 2026 season.

Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks off the field after the game against the Oregon Ducks at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lincoln Riley still struggles to win big games.

USC fell 41-27 at home to Oregon on Saturday, failing its first major test in what is supposed to be a push for the College Football Playoff. The Ducks didn't skip a beat on offense after losing Dante Moore; Dylan Raiola finished the night 19-of-25 passing for 289 yards and a pair of touchdown passes.

The loss to Oregon receives less attention if the Trojans played more dominantly in the prior four games. USC let Louisiana hang with it for a half in Week 3, and the questionable defense allowed Rutgers to stick with it all game in Week 4.

This was an opportunity for USC to take advantage of a team that started the season in disjointed fashion with an uncomfortable win over Boise State and an eye-opening road loss at Oklahoma State. Instead, it reaffirmed skepticism about Riley's ceiling with the Trojans, especially concerns about fielding competent defenses.

College football media personality Josh Pate's feelings toward USC have downgraded from skepticism to calamity. Pate expressed his disappointment in his preseason belief of the Trojans on his show on Sunday.

"I couldn't care less if you sell on USC. I'm selling everything on USC," Pate said. "The Lincoln Riley fan club, everyone's left, it's like this room right now, I'm the only one here. I've been sitting here thinking to myself 'these suckers are going to learn, this is like a Noah's Ark situation and no one's hanging around and they're going to be banging on the door.' No, it was a Titanic situation, everyone else got in life boats and I said 'I'm cool.'"

Repeated failures in the limelight have followed Riley throughout his career

Nov 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) fumbles against Washington Huskies defensive end Zion Tupuola-Fetui (4) during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Riley inherited the reins to the empire Bob Stoops built at Oklahoma in 2017. Texas was down for much of the 2010s, and there were no other consistent powers in the Big 12 at the time to challenge the Sooners each year.

The Sooners boasted Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks in Riley's tenure, but consistent defensive failures caught up to them in their College Football Playoff appearances, something that grew tiresome for the fan base.

The same illnesses from Riley's Oklahoma tenure followed him to USC. A terrific two-year run from Caleb Williams was tainted by abysmal defensive play, and the Trojans are 3-7 against ranked teams since Williams' departure for the NFL.

Could USC part ways with Riley later this year?

Riley's name was constantly thrown around in preseason hot seat conversations if the Trojans failed to turn a corner in 2026, but doing so would cost them greatly. The buyout is the obvious roadblock to firing any coach, and Riley's sits in the neighborhood of $60 million.

In addition to the money it would lose, USC would also bid farewell to multiple key pieces from their 2026 recruiting class, which ranked No.1 nationally. Program loyalty has lessened since the introduction of the NCAA transfer portal, and many programs could start bidding wars over the Trojans' former blue-chip recruits.