The NCAA has delivered significant news to Southern California this Wednesday, setting the stage for crucial weeks ahead for coach Lincoln Riley.

Essentially, the NCAA has granted USC a way to fire Riley and avoid the hefty financial implications of his massive contract.

The NCAA has put the university on probation for one year and imposed a $50,000 fine due to inappropriate coaching practices by non-coaching analysts affiliated with the team.

Even more concerning for Riley, whose squad has suffered nine losses in their last twelve matches, is that USC has acknowledged to the NCAA that he breached “head coach responsibility” regulations. This could empower the institution to terminate Riley with just cause, thus nullifying any obligation to pay him millions.

This means that USC could dismiss Riley without owing him anything in compensation.

While the nuances of the “head coach responsibility” charge may not seem dire due to its recent reinforcement (issued two years post Riley’s hiring), what’s crucial is that USC now has a viable exit route amid this escalating issue.

No longer will former players air grievances regarding Riley and the program on social media. No more long-suffering competitors in the Big Ten overshadowing USC’s successes.

No more days of a historically great college football program lagging behind and losing to teams like Minnesota and Maryland.

Riley noted, “Given the level of penalties imposed, if the situation were serious, they would suspend the head coach.”

This is where the main issue with Riley at USC lies. Not every setback is catastrophic or solely his doing.

Struggling defensively? No big deal, just bring in a new coordinator.

Unable to close out close games? No worries, we’re just a few plays from being undefeated.

Consistent losses in the Big Ten? We anticipated a challenging adjustment.

Failure to attract top recruits from Southern California? We arrived in a tough spot, requiring us to rely on the transfer portal, which has also fallen short.

There’s always a reason, always a way out. The latest excuse: Quarterback Miller Moss continues to throw interceptions.

Now, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava steps in (possibly should have been playing sooner) to salvage the situation which has grown dire.

The Trojans’ season is essentially over, and their remaining three games are against teams with stronger postseason desires.

Nebraska has not participated in a bowl game since 2016, recently changed its offensive coordinator, and now requires just one victory for bowl eligibility.

Crosstown rival UCLA, having defeated USC by 18 points last season, has won its last three games under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster.

Rival Notre Dame cannot afford another defeat if it hopes to make the College Football Playoff.

Riley holds a 23-13 record at USC, lacking a conference title, while the previous coach (Clay Helton) recorded a 26-10 record in his first 36 games, which included a Pac-12 championship, a Rose Bowl win, and a Cotton Bowl berth.

Riley’s peak achievement was 11 wins in 2021, followed by a Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane.

As a private institution, USC’s precise details of Riley’s reported $110 million contract from 2021 remain undisclosed. Nevertheless, every coaching contract typically contains a clause that allows for termination for cause if the program faces NCAA probation.

A sports agent knowledgeable in college coaching contracts, speaking to YSL News Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, indicated that USC would be reckless not to have included the NCAA clause. Without it, Riley would operate without accountability regarding NCAA regulations.

This isn’t the first instance of a university leveraging NCAA violations to terminate a contract. In 2020, Tennessee practically encouraged an NCAA investigation into its program under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, who faced accusations of improper financial dealings with recruits.

Tennessee sought to avoid paying Pruitt $12 million in buyout funds and used NCAA clauses in his contract as justification for firing him for cause, subsequently accepting an $8 million fine.

Paying the NCAA $8 million is reasonable; paying a coach $12 million to walk away is a non-starter.

This leads us back to Riley, who was on the brink of a College Football Playoff berth in his first year, slipped to eight wins in his second year despite having the leading player in college football (Caleb Williams), and has now lost five of seven conference games during USC’s inaugural Big Ten season.

USC has not chosen to suspend Riley following the NCAA violations. However, that doesn’t preclude the possibility of his dismissal if this season falters further.

Particularly now that they have a valid escape route.