While the noise around the No. 19 USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley reached one of its loudest points to date after the program lost to the Oregon Ducks at home, USC president Beong-Soo Kim has a different focus.
What Beong-Soo Kim Said About Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans Football
Kim has been leading the university since 2025, but his official investiture took place on Friday, Oct. 16. In an interview with Los Angeles Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem, Kim was asked about USC's financial ability to pay Riley's buyout, if the school decides, as well as the Trojans' willingness to fund a football program that can compete at the highest level.
"We are laser focused on the next game, and then the game after that. And really having the best possible season that we can have in football. And I think there's a lot of noise out there, and part of my responsibility and job as president is sometimes to try to block out the noise and focus on what we can control and what really matters," said Kim.
"In football, we have one loss, and we just had a terrific win on the road at Penn State, and we're going to continue to get things done for the rest of the season. And then we'll see what happens," the USC president continued.
When Kaleem clarified that USC is not concerned with the finances at the current moment, Kim explained that the current focus remains on the field and for the upcoming game against the Wisconsin Badgers.
"That's right, we're not thinking about that. We're focused on winning," said Kim.
USC Trojans Season Outlook
The Trojans football team is enjoying a bye week after beating the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road yesterday before hitting the road again to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
However, the biggest tests of the season still remain for Riley and company as both No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana remain on USC's schedule. Meanwhile, No. 11 UCLA have emerged as a nationally ranked team as the Bruins have started the season undefeated under new head coach Bob Chesney.
According to betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, USC has the sixth-highest odds of winning the Big Ten Championship at +3000, sitting behind Wisconsin, UCLA, Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State. When it comes to FanDuel's odds for reaching the College Football Playoff, there are 22 teams with better chances of reaching the postseason than the Trojans.
In order to have a realistic shot at reaching the CFP in this season, the Trojans will likely have to pick up two wins in the games against Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA. If not, could Kim and USC athletic director Jen Cohen realistically part ways with Riley?
According to Kim, it seems as though the Trojans are content to wait to cross that bridge until they get there.
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