Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Head Coach With a 'Chance' to Get Off the Hot Seat

The 2026 college football season will be a year that defines several major head coaches' tenures. Another poor season and they could be out of a job, but a bounce-back year could be what gets the pressure off their backs.

Lincoln Riley Enters 2026 Under Immense Pressure

That is true for USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. When he took over before the 2022 season, the thought was that he was going to turn the Trojans into a national championship contender. He went 55-10 in his five seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. He won the Big 12 championship in four of those seasons and made the College Football Playoff in three seasons. The hope was that he'd do that in Los Angeles.

However, he's fallen short of those expectations. In his first year, the Trojans went 11-3 and looked like a team ready to take off. However, they followed that up by going 8-5 and 7-6 in the next two seasons. They did bounce back with a 9-4 season last year, but USC is about winning championships, and Riley hasn't come close.

However, this could be the year. USC has started the year 2-0, with two dominant wins. Quarterback Jayden Maiava is off to a hot start. He's thrown for 635 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, while completing 88.9% of his passes.

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul Finebaum Says Riley Has a Chance to Escape the Hot Seat

ESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that he thinks Riley has a chance to coach himself off the hot seat.

"I would say Lincoln Riley's got a chance this year," Finebaum said. "He's got a great quarterback. He still can never seem to win a big game."

Jayden Maiava Could Be the Key to Riley's Turnaround

Finebaum's criticism gets to the central question surrounding Riley. Winning against lesser opponents is not going to erase the concerns that have followed his USC tenure. The Trojans have to prove they can beat the teams that have repeatedly stood between Riley and championship contention.

USC will get that opportunity soon enough. The Oregon Ducks visit Los Angeles, while the Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions are also on the schedule. For now, though, Riley has accomplished exactly what he needed to accomplish through the opening two games.

The next step is turning that promising start into meaningful wins against the Big Ten's best. If Riley can do that, 2026 could finally become the season that changes the conversation around his USC tenure. If he cannot, Finebaum's warning about Riley's inability to win big games will only become harder to dismiss.

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