USC displays major facility investment with a $200-million, half-finished football complex overlooking Howard Jones Field, symbolizing long-term commitment. On-field results have slipped since Lincoln Riley's 11-win debut, with Riley recording 26 wins through 40 games, one fewer than his predecessor at the same point. Recent offseason moves created momentum: defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn was retained, Chad Bowden was hired as general manager, recruiting for the class of 2026 surged to No. 1, and NIL efforts picked up. The upcoming season is pivotal for Riley as another disappointing year would force difficult organizational reckonings ahead of the 2026 facility opening.
The metaphor feels almost too obvious, the iron-and-brick facade of a half-finished, $200-million football palace looming over Howard Jones Field. A chorus of construction equipment cuts through the chaos of a preseason football practice, the whole scene a reminder that USC, in Year 4 of the Lincoln Riley era, is building toward something. Where USC's football program stands in that building process is a bit more complicated to capture.
The only pressing questions now for USC, it seems, are on the field. Even as enthusiasm builds for 2026 , when the football facility will open and the top recruiting class lands, the upcoming season is a critical one for Riley. A third consecutive disappointing campaign would force USC to face some uncomfortable truths, some of which the school can't afford to confront.
"I just feel great about the progress that's been made," USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen told The Times. "And now we're now in a position where our expectations are high. We all know what they are and that's to win."
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