Walking through the Chicago Hilton during Big Ten media days, Lincoln Riley was taking questions in stride. Now in his fifth year as USC's head coach, Riley has never made a College Football Playoff appearance with the Trojans, and the pressure is mounting.

"Somebody asked me, 'Are you a better head coach now than you were before?'" Riley said. "By a mile." The 42-year-old acknowledged the challenges of turning around a program with sky-high expectations. "This wasn't going to turn around without some bumps along the way," he told ESPN.

Since USC's 11-3 campaign in 2022 behind Caleb Williams, the Trojans have gone 28-15, matching Clay Helton's record over his first 53 games. Riley has overseen assistant coaching changes, an athletic director change, and faced critiques about shortcomings. "I'm not asking for anybody's sympathy," Riley said.

Now, USC boasts the No. 1-ranked recruiting class, a deep roster built on development, and a state-of-the-art facility. Four games into the season, USC has four wins. As No. 20 Oregon arrives at the Coliseum on Saturday, the demand for a signature victory has reached a boiling point. "It's what it's supposed to feel like here," Riley said.