What USC football's Lincoln Riley said ahead of Oregon matchup

Ahead of Oregon football’s battle with USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 26, coaches of both teams aren’t shying away from the “big-game” label.

The Ducks‘ Dan Lanning said Monday this game meant a bit more than others, and the Trojans‘ Lincoln Riley didn’t use the same words but acknowledged its importance while speaking to local media Tuesday.

“It’s definitely an important game,” Riley said. “There’s no question about it. It’s two good teams, two good programs going at it. It was a really big game last year, too. It had playoff implications and all that. That’s honestly what this game should be. This game should have a lot riding on it, be important, it’s important to the fanbases and it’s important to college football. I think it’s exactly what it should be.”

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Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu, center, leads the offensive linemen onto the field as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Riley’s availability was short Tuesday, lasting under 10 minutes, but he also gave his thoughts on the growing rivalry that has formed between the Ducks and Trojans since he’s been coach in Los Angeles.

“There’s obviously some history to this thing,” Riley said. “Naturally, the regional piece of it is there and exists … it feels like a game that’s going to be relevant for a long time. I think it’s good, I think it’s good for college football and I think it’s good for the West Coast.”

Despite a shocking 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State a few weeks ago, Riley says he knows the caliber of team that is coming into Los Angeles this week.

He compared the Chicago Bears’ result from a 59-point Week 1 offensive output to 3 points in Week 2 as a prime example of how every game is its “own season.”

“You have to understand it and you have to learn from it, but just because something happened in one game for any side, good or bad, has no bearing on what’s going to happen the next week,” Riley said.

The Ducks and Trojans will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday from the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

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Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com.

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: What USC football’s Lincoln Riley said ahead of Oregon matchup