USC football has 3 pathways to CFP that could save Lincoln Riley

USC’s record puts it on track for a College Football Playoff breakthrough under Lincoln Riley.The Trojans’ schedule?Different story.As things stand, No.19 USC (6-1) figures to be an underdog in at least three of its remaining games —against No.

4 Ohio State at the Coliseum and on the road against No.5 Indiana and No.

12 UCLA.Let’s also not forget that the Trojans have to play at Wisconsin on Oct.24, further testing Riley’s ability to win multiple time zones away.Yes, USC is 2-0 in Big Ten road games this season after having beaten Rutgers and Penn State, but some context is needed.

The Scarlet Knights and Nittany Lions have gone a combined 0-5 in conference games.So what, exactly, has USC proven on the road again?Given that there’s almost no scenario in which the Trojans can get into the 12-team CFP with three losses unless they pull a 2025 Alabama, they will probably need to win at least three of those four challenging games.Here are three pathways for USC to get into the CFP and alleviate the pressure that’s been mounting on Riley after falling short of the playoffs in his first four seasons at the school:Imagine it now: The Trojans clobber Ohio State so convincingly at the Coliseum on Oct.31 that the narrative on Riley is completely transformed.Students who chanted “Fire Lincoln!” during a sloppy showing against Washington earlier this month are now yelling “Extend Lincoln!”This comes after USC has already beaten Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, further shifting the perception that Riley can’t win on the road in the Big Ten.Buoyed by four consecutive victories and a bye week, the Trojans roll into Indiana and edge a Hoosiers team that doesn’t look nearly as dominant as the one that went unbeaten a year ago on the way to the national title.After pasting poor Maryland at home the next week, USC has already secured a CFP berth.

But the Trojans’ bid for a first-round bye has extra incentive — it comes against rival UCLA at the Rose...