Home › People › Lincoln Riley

Lincoln Riley

Role(s) as quoted

USC head coach

Person type

Coaches

Entries

2 (Jul 28, 2026 to Jul 28, 2026)

Topics

Playoff & bowls (1) Scheduling & calendar (1) Rivalries & tradition (1) Pay, NIL & revenue sharing (1) Governance & legislation (1)

In the Ideas index

5. A hard salary or revenue cap (Supporters)
9. Playoff expansion to 16, 24 or more teams (For bigger fields)

All entries (oldest first)

Lincoln Riley, USC head coach · Jul 28, 2026 · 12-team/revenue-sharing (2024-26) · permalink

“Having more teams in a tournament to determine a champion is not going to make it worse.”

At Big Ten media days, Riley said Big Ten coaches were unanimous in favor of a 24-team CFP. He argued expansion would bring back better nonconference games and preserve intersectional rivalries like USC-Notre Dame.

Source: Yahoo Sports (Los Angeles Times): USC's Lincoln Riley says CFP expansion 'just a matter of time'

Playoff & bowls Scheduling & calendar Rivalries & tradition

Lincoln Riley, USC head coach · Jul 28, 2026 · 12-team/revenue-sharing (2024-26) · permalink

“Now, it has steadied. A true salary cap would steady it even more.”

Riley backed a 'true salary cap' to stabilize the sport but said it would only work if the model can actually be policed and hold up against lawsuits and state courts.

Source: Yahoo Sports (On3): Lincoln Riley supports idea of salary cap in college sports to 'steady' landscape

Pay, NIL & revenue sharing Governance & legislation