USC football coach Lincoln Riley is in a tough position. His team is finishing a disappointing season at 7-5, and his quarterback Caleb Williams might be headed for the exits. Still, Lincoln Riley is trying to keep his program together and stay hopeful for the future.

“Everybody wants the clean, smooth road to the top, and that’s for the movies, man,” Riley said after a Saturday loss to UCLA, per The Athletic. “The road to the top is jagged, and it’s going to take its different twist and turns, especially coming from where this was. But we’ve got to stay together as a program, we’ve got to stay together as a fan base. We’ve got to stay together as a university.”

USC football collapsed at the end of the season, losing three games in a row. The only win in the team's last six games was a 50-49 nail-biter against California.

The team's defense was a main reason for USC's woes in that stretch. USC gave up 34 points or more in all six games, wasting some productive efforts from the team's offense.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams was frequently frustrated by the struggles, and it's unclear whether Williams will return to the team next season or bolt for the NFL. Still, Riley sees brighter days ahead.

“This is the tough times that you push through for the great things on the other side of it,” Riley said, per The Athletic. “And most people, if you’re willing to push through it, you get to those opportunities, and ours are coming.”

USC will get those opportunities as they leave the Pac-12 Conference and enter the Big Ten. The Trojans will be facing long road trips to power football programs like Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State. UCLA, Washington and Oregon are joining the Trojans in the Big Ten conference.

USC football is still going to a bowl game this season with its 7-5 record. The bowl and the opponent hasn't been announced.