{"id":1633,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/1633","headline":"USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18, reviving Riley's season","dek":"Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards and a score as the unranked Trojans handed the Buckeyes their upset loss and gave Lincoln Riley the biggest win of his USC tenure.","body":"USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night, a result that instantly becomes the signature win of Lincoln Riley's time in Los Angeles. Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, while King Miller and Waymond Jordan each added a rushing score to seal the upset.\n\nThe win is a jolt for a Trojans program that entered the week unranked at 6-2 and facing growing questions about Riley's job security. Ohio State, ranked second in the country, had been treated as the toughest remaining test on USC's schedule, and the Trojans passed it at home in convincing fashion.\n\nRiley, who had been notably measured and restrained with reporters afterward given the magnitude of the win, could not resist addressing a question about whether a path to the College Football Playoff still exists for USC. The win keeps that possibility alive, though Indiana and UCLA still remain on the schedule before any postseason conversation becomes real.\n\nFor now, the victory buys Riley time and quiets, at least temporarily, the chatter about his future at USC.","published_at":"2026-11-01T17:18:12.852841+00:00","source_count":5,"written_from":[{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Mandel's Final Thoughts: Lincoln Riley makes Ohio State mortal — and buys himself time","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7743062/2026/11/01/ohio-state-usc-lincoln-riley-final-thoughts/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"“Do Not Believe USC is Going to Be Able to Humble Themselves”: Radio Host Claims Trojans Should Hire ‘Non-P4’ Coach if Lincoln Riley Gets Fired","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/not-believe-usc-going-able-085335479.html"},{"outlet":"New York Post","publisher":"New York Post","title":"USC coach Lincoln Riley’s insecurity shows through after epic upset","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/11/01/sports/uscs-lincoln-riley-cant-handle-winning-right-after-epic-upset/"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley flips script on hot-seat chatter as USC's upset over Ohio State puts Trojans back in CFP picture","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/lincoln-riley-cools-hot-seat-usc-upsets-ohio-state-college-football-playoff-contender/"},{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"USC upsets No. 2 Ohio State for biggest win of Riley's tenure","url":"https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/50343945/usc-stuns-no-2-ohio-state-biggest-win-riley-tenure"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley looks to improve horrible record with USC vs top-25 teams vs Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-looks-improve-horrible-100524612.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC vs Ohio State live updates: highlights, predictions, analysis","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-vs-ohio-state-live-212346554.html"},{"outlet":"New York Post","publisher":"New York Post","title":"From the hot seat to Halloween hero: Lincoln Riley shocks No. 2 Ohio State in USC’s biggest win in years","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/10/31/sports/usc-stuns-no-2-ohio-state-in-massive-upset-as-lincoln-riley-earns-signature-win-at-coliseum/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"From the hot seat to Halloween hero: Lincoln Riley shocks No. 2 Ohio State in USC’s biggest win in years","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/hot-seat-halloween-hero-lincoln-030742214.html"},{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Biggest USC win under Lincoln Riley puts Ohio State in rare territory on Playoff bubble","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7742858/2026/10/31/ohio-state-usc-score-recap-football/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley was left for dead at USC. Then he stunned Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-left-dead-usc-033206420.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC fans storm field after shocking upset win vs No. 2 Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-fans-storm-field-shocking-034222517.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley improved vs Ohio State but must now beat Indiana","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-improved-vs-ohio-040146352.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Five takeaways from USC’s 30-18 upset of Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/five-takeaways-usc-30-18-041935116.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Takeaways from College Football Week 9: USC wins big, Indiana finds their way yet again","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/takeaways-college-football-week-9-045018314.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC’s Lincoln Riley gets revenge on doubters with massive top-5 win over Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-lincoln-riley-gets-revenge-043325941.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC shocks No. 2 Ohio state to keep CFP hopes alive","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-shocks-no-2-ohio-045032202.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley claps back at critics with fiery postgame written statement","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-claps-back-critics-052238869.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley erupts at Ohio State coaches in wild postgame confrontation after USC upset","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-erupts-ohio-state-050845256.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Social media reacts to USC’s 30-18 upset of Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/social-media-reacts-usc-30-053235003.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC coach Lincoln Riley sends strong message to Trojans after upsetting Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-coach-lincoln-riley-sends-060714830.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"What USC coach Lincoln Riley said about Ohio State after the game","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-coach-lincoln-riley-said-074010189.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC’s Lincoln Riley Goes Viral for What Happened After Upsetting Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-lincoln-riley-goes-viral-080858681.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"“Every Time When Adversity Hits, He’s Lost”: CFB Fans Rip Ryan Day As Ohio State Loses 30–18 to Lincoln Riley’s USC","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/every-time-adversity-hits-lost-103657911.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley situation at USC is more difficult after win | Opinion","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-situation-usc-more-130519208.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Lincoln Riley read prepared statement after USC’s statement win over Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lincoln-riley-read-prepared-statement-140303820.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"After win over No. 2 Ohio State, USC coach Lincoln Riley reiterates that he's the 'right person' for the Trojans","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/after-win-over-no-2-ohio-state-usc-coach-lincoln-riley-reiterates-that-hes-the-right-person-for-the-trojans-140646955.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC’s Lincoln Riley Makes Strong Statement After Stunning Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-lincoln-riley-makes-strong-141234003.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"USC football shocked college football world in upset of Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-football-shocked-college-football-152435366.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"‘Just Disgusting,’ ‘OSU Coaches Are Classless’ — CFB Fans React to USC HC Lincoln Riley’s Controversial Moment After Win vs. Ohio State","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/just-disgusting-osu-coaches-classless-182902096.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/uploads/wp/2026/11/01012944/GettyImages-2302928619-scaled.jpg","credit":"The Athletic","width":2560},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}