College Football News

The time has come for USC to pony up and pay Lincoln Riley's buyout after bottom falls out against Wisconsin

Buying out Riley may cost the Trojans as much as $70 million, but keeping him around may be even more costly for a blueblood program that expects to compete for national titles…

· 2 min read
Originally reported by CBS Sports
The time has come for USC to pony up and pay Lincoln Riley's buyout after bottom falls out against Wisconsin
Photo: CBS Sports

Lincoln Riley: What Happened

CBS Sports reported on Saturday, October 24, 2026 in a story involving Lincoln Riley, Wisconsin. Buying, USC. Here is how the report opens:

Buying out Riley may cost the Trojans as much as $70 million, but keeping him around may be even more costly for a blueblood program that expects to compete for national titles…

— CBS Sports
The time has come for USC to pony up and pay Lincoln Riley's buyout after bottom falls out against Wisconsin, photo 2 of 2

Photos: CBS Sports

It is one of many College Football stories we are following today. Below are the key takeaways, how the story is being reported across the sport, background on College football and what to watch next.

Key Takeaways

  • The story: The time has come for USC to pony up and pay Lincoln Riley's buyout after bottom falls out against Wisconsin
  • Who’s involved: Lincoln Riley, Wisconsin. Buying, USC and Trojans
  • League: College Football
  • First reported: Saturday, October 24, 2026 by CBS Sports

Background: College football

College football (French: Football universitaire) is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States.

Like gridiron football generally, college football is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at the highest levels of play, are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Text from Wikipedia’s College football article, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What’s Next for Lincoln Riley

For fans following Lincoln Riley, the next things to watch are the College Football Playoff rankings, transfer portal, recruiting and bowl projections. Stories like this one tend to move quickly, so check back for follow-up reports and reaction as more outlets pick it up.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened with Lincoln Riley?

Buying out Riley may cost the Trojans as much as $70 million, but keeping him around may be even more costly for a blueblood program that expects to compete for national titles… CBS Sports reported the story on Saturday, October 24, 2026.

Who reported this CFB story?

CBS Sports first reported it on Saturday, October 24, 2026. ForTheFans summarizes it here with background and related College Football news.

Where can I get the latest College Football news today?

The ForTheFans College Football page collects every CFB headline as it breaks, including College Football Playoff rankings, transfer portal and recruiting, with live scores on our scores page.

Summarized by ForTheFans from reporting by CBS Sports. Headlines, quoted text and photos belong to their publishers. How we report

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