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USC coach Lincoln Riley makes bold claim, says USC is ready to win ‘championships’
Lincoln Riley’s tenure as head coach of the USC Trojans has not lived up to expectations.
While there have been flashes of brilliance, primarily during the 2022 season, his first in LA, SC has yet to reach the College Football Playoff, or compete for a Big Ten Championship. Some of that can be blamed on Riley, as the Trojans’ defense was, to put it mildly, atrocious during his first two years on the job.
Some of the underperformance, however, can also be blamed on USC’s complete lack of preparation for name, image, and likeness-based recruiting.
Despite the wealthy alumni base, location in Los Angeles, and historic success, SC’s athletic department, coaching staff, and donor base were not aligned properly when NIL came into effect. And recruiting suffered. After putting up classes perennially in the top 10 of national rankings, SC dropped to #18 and #15 in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Unsurprisingly, per most analytics-based rankings, that’s just about where the team finished nationally in overall success rate.
Well, thanks to a new general manager, Chad Bowden, better coordination, and weaponizing that prolific donor base, SC brought in the #1 recruiting class in the country for 2026. And Riley is already making some bold claims about it.
“We’re excited Jim, you know, I think this will be the most complete roster that we’ve had here at USC,” Riley said to Jim Rome on a recent episode of “The Jim Rome Show. “We return some really good productive players that we think are teed up to be the best they’ve been in their career, including some positions that historically you would say, ‘hey, this is pretty important’ in terms of returning production at quarterback, offensive line, running back, defensive line.”
Riley explained that it’s not just the returning talent that has him excited, it’s the “great class” they brought in.
“We’ve got, you know, we’ve got quite a bit there, which is exciting starting piece,” he continued. “And then, you know, we brought in a great class. We signed the number one recruiting class in the country.
“You know, it’s been great to get up the majority of those guys here for spring ball. And so that combination from a roster standpoint is excited. And we’ve just gotten a little bit better every single year.”
Riley went a bit further though, saying that this class and the returning talent have them in position to compete for “championships” at USC.
“I think it’s caused for a lot of optimism,” he said. “So yeah, I can’t wait for this season to come up. You know, we came here to win championships. You know, that’s why you come to USC. And we feel like this group is certainly prepared and positioned to do that.”
There’s little doubt that this is Riley’s best roster at SC. The recruiting class, a good transfer class, and important players returning at key positions. Another year of development for Jayden Maiava, Jakheem Stewart, incredible running backs, and so on. The problem is that until SC wins a big game against a marquee opponent that they weren’t “supposed” to win, no one will take him seriously. Yes, Riley beat Notre Dame with Caleb Williams, and had a big win over Michigan at the Coliseum in 2025. But the schedule in 2026 is daunting.
Ohio State, Oregon, and Washington in LA. Penn State, Indiana, and Wisconsin on the road. Plus the rivalry game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. In order to seriously compete for “championships,” Riley needs to beat Ohio State and Oregon, or one of those two plus Indiana and/or Penn State on the road. Having a talented roster is one thing. Delivering on that talent is another. Do that, then start talking.
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Oklahoma wins NCAA women’s gymnastics championship for fourth time in five years
University of Oklahoma gymnastics star Faith Torrez came up with a clutch championship-winning routine for her team in the NCAA championships Saturday, extending the program’s dynasty.
Torrez nailed the final routine on the floor exercise as the last competitor on the final rotation to put the Sooners ahead for their fourth championship in five years. It was the last routine of her college career.
Torrez scored a 9.950 to give the Sooners a team total of 198.1625, just ahead of LSU at 198.0750.
Florida was third, while Minnesota closed the best season in program history by finishing fourth.
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“It means everything. I’m so proud of this team,” Torrez said after winning the NCAA all-around title Thursday. “To do it with them, I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
LSU initially surged to the front through three rotations thanks in part to a perfect 10 on the vault by Kailin Chio, the first perfect score awarded at the national championships since 2023.
The Tigers finished on the balance beam while the Sooners went to the floor exercise. At NCAA competitions, six gymnasts compete in each event, with the lowest score being dropped, and the top five scores added together to produce the team total.
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LSU’s slim 0.0750 lead left it little margin for error. A fall by Lexi Zeiss on the beam, which came after Zeiss was forced to endure a prolonged wait as judges worked on teammate Kylie Coen’s score, opened the door just enough for the Sooners to push through.
The Tigers rebounded behind Konnor McClain, the 2022 US Gymnastics national champion, and Chio.
The meet came down to the final two competitors, Torrez on the floor and Chio on the beam.
Torrez, who battled injuries all season and didn’t even compete in the all-around until nationals, put together a dynamic 90-second performance, forcing Chio to be perfect for the Tigers to win.
Chio, who had 13 perfect tens during the season, was dazzling, but her score of 9.900 was not quite enough to derail Oklahoma’s dynasty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Dylan Sprouse tackled an alleged burglar at his home after wife Barbara Palvin spotted intruder: reports
Dylan Sprouse stopped an alleged burglar from entering his home.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 33-year-old “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” star and his wife, Victoria’s Secret model, Barbara Palvin called the police around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, when she saw an unknown man on their property.
After Palvin reported the attempted burglary, Dylan reportedly tackled the intruder to the ground and held him there until authorities arrived, per TMZ.
The LA Times reported that no one was hurt during the alleged incident and that the man, who was taken away by authorities that night and is in custody on outstanding warrants, did not enter the couple’s home.
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Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Sprouse, but has not heard back.
Palvin and Dylan met for the first time in 2018, after first connecting on Instagram when the former Disney Channel star messaged her. They made their relationship Instagram official later that year in June, and got married in July 2023 in Palvin’s home country of Hungary.
During an interview with People in February 2025, Palvin and Dylan shared that they try to spend as much time together as possible, with Palvin traveling to see him when he’s on set, noting they have a rule that they are “not supposed to be away from each other longer than two, three weeks.”
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“It’s definitely easier, but also, the funny thing is, the kind of big secret about the acting industry that being on set’s actually really boring, so I always kind of feel bad,” Dylan said about having her on set. “I’m always like, I hope she’s having fun.”
He later added that when his wife is on set, he looks forward to “going back to the trailer, seeing Barbara, rehearsing lines, hanging out,” adding that it “makes the whole day a lot easier for me.”
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Dylan and his twin brother, Cole Sprouse, began their acting careers at a young age, often playing the same character in various movies and TV shows, including “Grace Under Fire” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
Their big break came in 2005, when they landed the role of twin boys who live in a hotel on the hit Disney Channel series, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” and later its spin-off, “The Suite Life on Deck.”
When it came to why they chose to leave the show, Dylan told Vulture it all came down to creative differences.
“I mean, we had a really awesome idea for where the show needed to go. We were 18,” he said. “If that isn’t old enough to know exactly what the show needs, then…well, I would beg to disagree.”
After the end of the show in 2011, both he and his brother took a break from acting to focus on their education, with Dylan graduating from NYU in 2015.
While Cole went on to star in another high-profile show, “Riverdale,” Dylan went another route, co-founding All-Wise Meadery in Brooklyn, New York, which specializes in brewing mead, and acting sporadically.
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Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
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She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
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It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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