USC coach Lincoln Riley faces calls to be fired after 24-7 loss at Wisconsin Wisconsin beat No. 16 USC 24-7 at Camp Randall Stadium, dropping the Trojans to 6-2 and 3-2 in the Big Ten and intensifying pressure on coach Lincoln Riley. MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin beat No. 16 USC 24-7 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a result that dropped the Trojans to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten and left coach Lincoln Riley facing calls for his job. The loss was the worst performance of Riley's 10 seasons as a head coach. USC managed one touchdown, committed two turnovers, allowed five sacks and rushed for minus-17 yards, coming dangerously close to a school record for futility on the ground. The Trojans crossed midfield four times and did not score. They tried a 58-yard field goal that predictably fell well short.A promising fourth-quarter drive ended when quarterback Jayden Maiava took a sack on third down near midfield with about 13 minutes left. USC then failed to get off a field goal attempt without first taking a delay of game, even though Riley stood next to the official on the sideline ready to call timeout. Riley later shrugged off the incident and said it was a bit of a panicked move to still attempt the long kick.Riley Rejects Bye Week Excuse For LossThe defeat came after a bye week, making the flat showing all the more confounding. Riley, who boasted in the preseason about the program's alignment and called this the year to meet expectations, rejected the idea that extra preparation time was the issue."Whether you have seven days to prepare or 14 days to prepare, you've still got to go execute in these moments," Riley said. "You've got to take care of the ball, you've got to get off the field on third down, you've got to not give up second-and-19 pass interferences ... you've got to make field goals. I'm disappointed." He was blunt about the overall effort. "Really disappointing game. Just flat out didn't play good on any of the three sides of the ball. Didn't coach good enough, made critical errors on the road against a good football team," Riley said."We did the things that you can't do on the road. We lost turnover battle, lost the rushing battle, had some big penalties at times." Asked to identify a bright spot, Riley could not. "I'll get back and study it but I can't look at one group and say, 'Man, that group was outstanding,'" he said. "You need groups to step up and we just didn't. " His postgame scene was cut off by a school press officer after just over seven minutes, matching USC's scoring output.Wisconsin Badgers Display Gritty ResilienceWisconsin, meanwhile, looked nothing like past versions of Badgers football. The Badgers consistently picked up third downs, converting 6 of 12, and mounted three sustained touchdown drives that each took more than 5 1/2 minutes off the clock. They gained 200 total yards of offense and were far from exceptional, yet looked like the tougher team."Gritty ain't pretty," Wisconsin running back Bryan Jackson II said after rushing for 38 yards against his former team and a go-ahead touchdown before halftime. "We played the harder football game, brought it to them and they can't really do nothing with us. It's just two different types of football." Wisconsin wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. dove for a touchdown, and quarterback Colton Joseph ran the ball while pressured by USC defensive end Luke Wafle. USC wide receiver Tanook Hines was wrapped up by Wisconsin safety Matt Jung. Riley remained defiant about the rest of the season."We played a way different brand of football at Penn State two weeks ago and we're very capable of doing it again in the coming weeks," he told reporters in Madison. "But we've got to do it and it's going to take all of us together - coaches and players - and that's what we'll do. " He also pointed to a rash of upsets around the country as reason for hope."There's a lot of teams getting beat, a lot of teams getting beat on the road and the toughest teams and the teams that can battle back from losses or tough moments like this are the ones who are going to be the ones standing at the end," Riley said. "I have a lot of confidence in our team and in our guys that when we're at our best, we can beat anybody. " Not everyone found that persuasive.USC Playoff Hopes Dwindle After DefeatUSC entered the season with a gleaming new practice facility, a third defensive coordinator and all the resources any college football coach could desire. September losses to winless Rutgers were dismissed as the perils of playing on the road, as was a loss to a Washington team down to its fourth-string running back. The Trojans are now seventh in the Big Ten standings.A team that cannot afford another loss and make the College Football Playoff must run the table against a remaining schedule that includes three top-10 teams - Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA. USC billboards around town proclaim "The Time is Now," a slogan that now reads more like a countdown for Riley's tenure. The big question is how disappointed his bosses are. Will athletic director Jen Cohen and the USC Board of Trustees cut the cord?Financial Cost Of Firing Coach RileyDo they want to commit roughly $70 million to buy out Riley, not to mention the many additional millions for the rest of his staff? Can they land someone who's better? Some have playfully suggested Riley needs only one more year to make the CFP given the likelihood of its field expanding to 24 teams, a scenario some have dubbed the Lincoln Riley Act in a jab at his never having qualified with the Trojans.Adding pressure is the job coach Bob Chesney is doing across town. In Year 1, at a school known more for Nobel Laureates than Heisman Trophy winners, Chesney has unbeaten UCLA in prime position for a CFP run. Riley's critics note the warning signs were there and the evidence was impossible to ignore.They argue the loss at Camp Randall Stadium is where USC's season went to die, and that enough is enough with the excuses: it's late October and the Trojans still haven't beaten anybody of consequence. Wisconsin's schedule is far more manageable, and the win now looks like it will ensure Luke Fickell's return. After four years of delays and engineering mistakes, Fickell's arduous rebuilding job finally appears to be bearing fruit.Fickell Rebuilding Effort Bears FruitThe Badgers had previously gone 3-13 against ranked opponents under Fickell, yet on this night they looked like the program on the rise. Badgers brass were jubilant as they walked off the field amid celebrating students who reveled in one of the great Wisconsin sports nights. Their Trojan counterparts didn't even bother to see what Riley had to say in the aftermath of a loss that will be felt well beyond this season.Two different programs and now two different decisions for these schools. Wisconsin can plan for the future with Fickell. USC must decide whether to raze its project and start again, beginning with the chief architect who many believe needs to be shown the door.