Lincoln Riley was extra spicy after USC the college football game in Los Angeles on Saturday. The fifth-year head coach snapped at Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork during a heated on-field exchange at the Coliseum.
It is not entirely clear as to why he said what he said.
The college football coach was caught on a hot mic immediately after Bjork passed him by. There is a direct correlation!
Lincoln Riley prepared a statement for his press conference.
The last few weeks have not been easy for Riley or the Trojans. A team that was supposed to take a big step forward and contend for the College Football Playoff struggled to separate from Rutgers, lost to Oregon, barely escaped against Washington and Penn State, and lost on the road at Wisconsin in ugly fashion.
Some of the fanbase called for their boosters to back up the Brinks truck to pay Riley’s buyout and get him out of Los Angeles. Hot boards popped up online with a list of potential replacements. The Trojans had a sour taste in their mouths and held the head coach responsible. His team looked like a deer in headlights against the Badgers and that was the last straw!
He had to go. If he wasn’t going to be fired, a fairly large portion of the fanbase wanted him to take the open Baylor job.
Well, USC did not fire Lincoln Riley in Week 9. Nor did he leave. He turned right around and defeated No. 2 Ohio State at home in dominant fashion. The Trojans jumped out to a 24-10 lead at halftime and they went on to win the game 30-18.
Riley was fired up after the win. Rightfully so. He heard all of the outside noise and the calls for his job. He silenced them.
The head coach actually prepared a statement for his postgame press conference. Riley reaffirmed his commitment to the program.
Lincoln Riley made it clear where he stands after USC's massive upset over No. 2 Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/cHCQF9YDA9
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2026
Those were not his only choice words of the evening! The 43-year-old got into a heated altercation before he made his way back to the locker room.
USC’s college football coach snapped at an Ohio State staffer.
Nicole Shearin, a USC alumnus, currently serves as the lead sports reporter at WBNS TV 10 in Columbus. She was back in Los Angeles to cover Ohio State play against her alma mater and just so happened to capture the video of the night.
Trojans fans stormed onto the field at the Coliseum to celebrate the win. It was an incredible scene on a rainy Halloween night.
there’s no family like the Trojan Family ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Eo3ExK02Ho
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 1, 2026
Lincoln Riley’s family joined him in victory. They were cut off by a Buckeyes staffer as they made their way back toward the tunnel. The staffer is athletic director Ross Bjork, who said something in the direction of Riley and Riley’s family. His comment can not be heard on the video.
Whatever Bjork said did not go over well with Riley or his wife.
Riley’s wife told Bjork to “watch his mouth.” The head coach said, “F— you, p—-!” It looks like Maurice Clarett steps in to keep the peace as the Riley family continued up the tunnel. Shearin captured the entire exchange on video.
Things seem to have gotten a little heated from Lincoln Riley walking off the field after upsetting the #Buckeyes, 30-18. pic.twitter.com/JXgt47ylBm
— Nicole Shearin (@NicoleShearintv) November 1, 2026
Here is another angle of what happened, which provides additional context:
See the postgame confrontation between Lincoln Riley, Ross Bjork after Ohio State loss pic.twitter.com/ZXu3SLyFit
— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) November 1, 2026
Although I am not aware of a preexisting beef between Bjork and Riley, it does not seem like they like each other. Columbus Dispatch photographer Adam Cairns captured the following image of the opposing athletic director and head coach:
I do not know whether this picture was captured before or after Shearin’s video but the photo is captioned: “Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork yells at USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley.” Cairns specifically used the word “yell” in the title.