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.
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.Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper and new offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel 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. Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava 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. 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. 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 trade 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?Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.
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