The first day of Big Ten football media days 2026 took place on Tuesday in Chicago, and with it, we heard from about one-third of the coaches and teams in the league. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day won’t have his time at the podium until Wednesday, but we did hear from Bret Bielema (Illinois), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Matt Campbell (Penn State), Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Lincoln Riley (USC), and Luke Fickell (Wisconsin).
If you are like us, we are interested in what all the head coaches in the conference have to say, and if so, then we have all of the press conferences from each head coach on Tuesday for you. In this case, we’ve got USC head coach Lincoln Riley and what he had to say about where the USC program is and where he is working to make it go.
Have a listen. Riley has been known as an offensive master mind, but his teams have struggled with the physicality of the Big Ten and fielding defenses good enough to contend for big things. Is this the year he can figure some of that stuff out?
We’ll continue to bring you sound bites, news, and commentary from the next couple of days at Big Ten media days, so be sure to check back.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: USC head coach Lincoln Riley Big Ten media days press conference
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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By Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
