EUGENE, Ore. —
The door technically was still cracked open, his team’s Pac-12 Conference title hopes still intact. Lincoln Riley had spent the past month reminding of that, clinging tightly to the math for comfort, even as USC’s season continued to spiral.
However far-fetched those hopes might have seemed to those who bore witness to the Trojans’ recent tailspin, it was that logic that led Riley to make the move Nov. 5 he’d avoided making for the previous year, a choice the coach hoped could salvage USC’s season. He fired his defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, with two games remaining.