On Saturday night, No. 20 Oregon will visit No. 12 USC for a marquee Big Ten matchup. For a variety of reasons, both coaches are under major pressure to come up with a win. Lincoln Riley and Dan Lanning are each in the fifth season at USC and Oregon, respectively.
Both coaches are among the highest paid in college football, both lead some of the most expensive rosters in the sport and face early questions about coordinator hires. Objectively, Lanning has been the more successful coach to this point. He's taken the Ducks to the College Football Playoff twice, and he has a Big Ten championship under his belt.
Lanning has perhaps his most talented team this season, which is why a loss this weekend would be so crushing. After a Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon could have two losses by the end of September. Riley, on the other hand, is still waiting for his first playoff appearance with the Trojans.
He hasn't won double-digit games in a single season since 2022, and Riley has really struggled against the toughest competition. This offseason, Riley made a splashy defensive coordinator hire in Gary Patterson, but the early returns on that move haven't been promising. So, with all that said, let's take a deeper look at which coach needs a win more on Saturday.
Turn up the heat: Coming into the season, Oregon was viewed as one of the favorites to win the national championship. The Ducks have one of the most expensive rosters in the sport -- topping $40 million -- and quarterback Dante Moore passed up the opportunity to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Suffering two losses in September would be disastrous, especially with back-to-back games against Ohio State and Michigan coming in November.
Anything short of a playoff berth would rightfully be viewed as a failure for Oregon this fall, and the Ducks would have zero margin for error if they entered October with a 2-2 record. Spin zone: The only thing that could provide Oregon with any hope if it loses to USC is the exact reason why a .500 start would be so disappointing. On paper, the Ducks have the talent to win every game they play, including on the road against the Buckeyes.
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