Lincoln Riley, addressing future, says USC 'right place for me' - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — With any hope for a spot in the College Football Playoff hanging by a thread after a second loss and plenty of noise regarding his future with USC, coach Lincoln Riley said he continues to believe he is the right individual to lead the program.

«Listen, if I didn't want to be at this place, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. I've had plenty of opportunities to leave,» Riley said after the Trojans' practice Tuesday. «This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I'm the right person to be here. And that's as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.»

Riley, who is in Year 5 of his USC tenure and has yet to lead the team to a CFP berth or win a conference title, began his news conference by going out of his way to say he was focused on USC's next opponent — Ohio State on Saturday — not on anything else.

But when asked about the idea that he might be a better fit at a different school, Riley balked at the notion.

«I love it here. I mean like I told you guys a lot of times — there's not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here,» Riley said. «I don't care if it's 15 years down the line, that never should be taken lightly. It's certainly not taken lightly by me. I came here because I believe in this place and none of that has changed whatsoever.»

Riley's relationship with athletic director Jen Cohen and their alignment has also been a topic of discussion given she was not the person who hired him. On Tuesday, Riley downplayed any idea of a disconnect between them and said Cohen has been «incredibly supportive» and called their relationship «fantastic.»

«She's a tremendous AD. Even though she's not the AD I came here with and I'm not the head