Lincoln Riley used to be Mister Automatic in college football. In his first three seasons at Oklahoma, Riley won a conference championship, made the College Football Playoff, appeared in a top-tier bowl game, and coached a player who finished in the top two of the Heisman Trophy vote. That’s gone. Now other Big Ten coaches have clearly surpassed him. One is Ryan Day of Ohio State, who regularly makes playoff appearances and wins double-digit games. This is the gold standard Riley needs to reclaim. USA TODAY Sports ranked Ryan Day third among all FBS coaches heading into the 2026 season:
“After much consternation in Columbus, Day won his national championship in 2024,” a USA TODAY college football panel wrote. “Last year, he finally got over the hump against Michigan. While he inherited one of the greatest situations of any first-year coach in Big Ten history, Day has turned Ohio State into an even more effective factory for NFL talent since replacing Urban Meyer in 2019. His number are historically ridiculous with 82 wins in 94 games and top-five finishes in six of his full seven seasons.”
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Winning 10 games at Ohio State is not only automatic, but actually a disappointment. If Ohio State isn’t winning at least 12 games in a season, it’s a profound letdown for the Buckeyes and their fans. Lincoln Riley briefly existed in that kind of universe as a head coach. 11-2 was closer to the floor than the ceiling. That’s where he once was. That’s where he and USC need to be. Ryan Day is definitely someone who offers a model for what the Trojans need to become in the Big Ten.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Ryan Day sets a standard Lincoln Riley and USC need to match
