Lincoln Riley addresses heated postgame exchange with Ohio State AD Ross Bjork

In the aftermath of USC's upset of Ohio State, things got heated between Riley and Bjork

Nov 4, 2026 at 10:21 am ET • 1 min read

Ohio State vs. USC was only the second-most heated battle on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum field last weekend. In the aftermath of the Trojans' 30-18 win, Lincoln Riley and Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork got into a verbal dust-up.

In multiple videos that have now gone viral on social media, Riley can be seen trying to escort his family off the field and down the tunnel, but they're stopped and forced to wait on a number of Ohio State personnel to exit. On his way past Riley, Bjork mutters something to the USC coach, who fires back.

Then, the two can be seen and heard engaging in an exchange as they walk toward the tunnel before some staff tries to intervene.

During his press conference on Tuesday night, Riley addressed the altercation and chalked it up to postgame adrenaline. He also noted that he and Bjork resolved the beef almost immediately.

"Not an issue," Riley said. "Just typical emotions after the game. We squashed it on the way up the tunnel. Ross is a good guy and a really good AD. Just really a non-issue. "

Riley declined to elaborate on what exactly sparked the shouting match with Bjork.

It's not hard to see why Riley was so fired up on Saturday night. That win over then-No. 2 Ohio State was the biggest of his career at USC, and it could serve as a turning point for the entire season. After a week of speculation about Riley's job security, that win had to feel like a weight lifted off his shoulders.

It won't get any easier for the Trojans as they travel to Bloomington to face Indiana next weekend following an open date. Let's just hope getting everyone off the field goes a little more smoothly there.