Why USCs beleaguered Lincoln Riley is supremely confident

Going into his now-or-never season, Lincoln Riley is acting like someone who’s on the clock.His own.The USC coach appears genuinely relaxed in interviews, filling reporters’ recorders with thoughtful answers and patiently indulging even the most inane questions.He’s having fun in practice, recently taking a simulated snap and running step for step with a running back before pitching him the ball.The guy doesn’t seem to be feeling any heat, even while wearing black shirts that absorb every ray of summer sun and inhabiting a Los Angeles landscape dotted with USC football billboards proclaiming, “THE TIME IS : NOW.”Being on Riley Time means existing in a good place, even with the college football world set to pounce should his Trojans once again fall short of the College Football Playoff.Here’s the thing: One tends to feel that way when they believe they’re on the brink of something special.And Riley definitely is giving off that vibe as his 14th-ranked team prepares to open its season against San Jose State on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum.“I mean, I am excited and confident about what we’re doing — I mean, that’s real,” Riley said this week.

“So, do I have that feeling of confidence and is that fun, is it fun to see some of these things that we’ve been working on for years and years start to come to fruition or come to fruition?“Yeah, sure it is — it’s been a long road here, and so seeing some of those things that came true that were just ideas years ago or thoughts or hopes or whatever, that’s fun to see, and it does energize you and excite you.”The road to 2026 has been fraught with enough disappointment to get a coach fired at a less patient place.Failing to match the success he had at Oklahoma, where his teams made the CFP in three of five seasons, Riley’s first four USC teams all lost at least three games.

His Trojans haven’t won a bowl game more consequential than the Holiday.What makes this team different? Ril...