Los Angeles — Lincoln Riley's USC Job Faces Pressure Before Ohio State

USC's Lincoln Riley and Colorado's Deion Sanders are the two Power 4 head coaches most likely to lose their jobs this season, according to an Oct. 28 ranking from Fox News' OutKick. The site's dek summed up the reasoning in one line: "Colorado's 2-5 start and USC's fading playoff hopes make both programs the ones to watch this fall."

Why does USC's Ohio State game matter for Lincoln Riley?

USC plays Ohio State this weekend, and a third loss this season could be enough to trigger a coaching change, according to the OutKick report. Riley has led the Trojans since 2022, and the piece frames his program's fading playoff hopes as the main reason USC lands near the top of the list. The report did not specify USC's full record heading into the game.

What is happening at Colorado under Deion Sanders?

Colorado sits at 2-5 this season, the record the OutKick ranking cites as the central evidence for including the Buffaloes among the jobs most likely to open. Sanders has coached the program since 2023. Separately, Sanders addressed a report that he offered $50,000 to silence critics, calling the claim "a joke," according to a Fox News headline tied to the same coverage window. A Fox Sports video posted alongside the OutKick piece featured analyst Dan Dakich arguing that college football will be a weaker product without former Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, both of whom have since left the program.

What did the ranking actually measure?

The list, written by OutKick's Austin Perry and published Oct. 28, 2026, ranks Power 4 head-coaching seats by how likely each is to come open before the season ends. The excerpt available from the report names USC and Colorado specifically, tying each program's position to on-field results — USC's postseason outlook and Colorado's losing record. The source material does not include the full ranked list of other schools.

What changes for fans this weekend?

For USC fans, Saturday's result against Ohio State is the next concrete data point. A third loss would match the threshold the OutKick report describes as enough to intensify firing speculation around Riley. For Colorado fans, the coaching questions arrive without a specific trigger game named in the report — the team's 2-5 record is already doing that work, according to the ranking.

What to Watch

• USC vs. Ohio State, this weekend: A third loss of the season is the benchmark OutKick's report ties to rising pressure on Lincoln Riley.
• Colorado's record: The Buffaloes enter their next game at 2-5, the mark cited as the reason the program made the ranking.
• Deion Sanders' public response: He has already called the $50,000 silencing-critics report "a joke," per Fox News coverage.
• Whether the list grows: OutKick's ranking is framed as a season-long watch, meaning additional Power 4 programs could be added as results come in.

Fans looking for the full list of ranked jobs and Perry's full reasoning can read the original OutKick report.