Riley gets a win, but it's far from promised glory

The most important college football story in these parts is about the downtrodden program from Westwood and whether it will leave its dump of a stadium in UCLA's incompetence has overshadowed every team in this market outside of the Dodgers and Lakers, and that includes USC. Which speaks to where USC stands right now.

- BY RYAN KARTJE

ERIC GENTRY, tackling Nico Iamaleava, was optimistic about USC's future despite the Trojans falling short of the CFP in Year 4 under coach Lincoln Riley.

The Trojans have become afterthoughts in a market they once owned, and they only have themselves to blame.

Their 29-10 victory over the Bad News Bruins at the Coliseum on Saturday didn't change that.

The 17th-ranked team in the country, the Trojans are by no means a bad team.

They're something worse.

They're stuck.

USC literally can't afford to buy out coach Lincoln Riley's contract, which means that until further notice the Trojans will be known as the team that's good enough to not embarrass itself but not good enough to reach the College Football Playoff.

In this particular time in this particular market, that pushes USC to the margins of Los Angeles' congested sporting landscape.

About to complete his fourth season with the Trojans, Riley seems to be aware of the perception of his program, or at very least what this market expects of a program defined by championships.