LINCOLN’S NOT ABLE

THE ONLY three college football coaches in the country (Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney) who have a higher salary than Lincoln Riley have won multiple national championships. The only three coaches in college football history (Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Urban Meyer) with a better career win percentage than Riley (.843) combined to win 10 national titles.

Riley, 40, can take comfort in the probability that he has decades to join such company. It must provide comfort since he seems certain to fall short again this season.

On the surface, USC is a contender in a field without a juggernaut. The Trojans (4-0) are ranked eighth in the AP Poll and sixth in the Coaches Poll, while holding the sixth-best playoff odds. It has the best player in the country — reigning Heisman winner and likely No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Caleb Williams — and averages more points (55) than any team in the nation. But the future is clear.

Riley’s teams annually contend, but have always finished with at least two losses — despite having had the best player in the country in four of his seven seasons as a head coach, plus a Heisman runner-up in another and the best offense in the nation on multiple occasions.

Inevitably, opponents emulate Riley’s firepower.

Oklahoma allowed 92 points in a pair of 2017 losses, 93 points in its two losses in 2018, 111 points in its two losses in 2019, 75 points in its two losses in 2020 and 64 points in its two losses in 2021. In Riley’s first season at USC, the Trojans allowed at least 43 points in each of their three losses.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch — inexplicably, Riley’s wingman for five seasons — remains the weak link. Despite playing a quartet of offenses ranked 72nd, 99th, 100th and 101st in the nation this season, the Trojans defense ranks 101st, allowing 424 yards per game.

It will only get uglier for USC, with Arizona (31st-ranked offense), Notre Dame (21st), Utah (scored 90 points in two wins over USC last year), Cal (13th), Washington (1st), Oregon (5th) and UCLA still on the schedule.

First, the Trojans must play an uncomfortably early (10 a.m.) road game against Deion Sanders and COLORADO (+21.5), who have suddenly become undervalued after a road blowout against Oregon’s top-10 defense. A date with USC’s defense is all Shedeur Sanders needs to bounce back. Utah (+3.5) over OREGON

STATE: No one’s gone broke betting against DJ Uiagalelei. The former Clemson quarterback has thrown three interceptions in the past two games, while failing to complete more than 50 percent of his passes. The Utes’ defense — allowing 10 points per game, with a top-20 sack rate — will make the one-time mock draft darling look XFL-bound, as the Beavers backfield struggles against the nation’s second-ranked run defense (1.7 yards per carry).

Clemson (-6.5) over SYRACUSE: Dino Babers has done impressive work — keeping four of the past six meetings between the programs to six points or fewer — but Syracuse’s

soft schedule hasn’t prepared it for Saturday. The fumbles that will end up costing Clemson another ACC title won’t derail a third game in the season’s first month. NORTHWESTERN (+27.5) over Penn

State: Kid Profit attempts to remain undefeated in Big Ten play. She’s made me watch every “High School Musical” enough to know the Wildcats were the obvious choice.

KENTUCKY (-1) over Florida: Ditto. AUBURN (+14.5) over Georgia: I’ll believe the Dawgs can cover when I see it. After scoring three points in the first half of a home game against South Carolina’s subpar defense — Georgia’s lone Power 5 opponent — Carson Beck won’t fare well in front of 87,000-plus in his first road game.

Michigan (-17.5) over NEBRASKA:

Matt Rhule went 2-10 in his first season at Temple. He went 1-11 in his first season at Baylor. It will take years to turn around the Cornhuskers — if ever.

Kansas (+16.5) over TEXAS: The Longhorns save their best showings for the road, failing to cover both games as big home favorites. Kansas (4-0), two years removed from pulling an upset in Austin, would be competitive without the bonus of Texas’ biggest regularseason game (vs. Oklahoma) looming next week. Lsu (-2.5) over OLE MISS:

Last week, the Rebels were held to their lowest-scoring effort (10 points) under Lane Kiffin, who is now 5-7 against ranked teams at Ole Miss. This week, they face a defense that held them to their lowest total last season.

Oregon (-27.5) over STANFORD: The ACC can’t compete with the Big Ten. OKLAHOMA (-20.5) over Iowa State:

In Riley’s absence, the Sooners may have finally found balance. Under Brent Venables, the third-highest scoring team in the nation (46.8) also allows the second-fewest points per game (8.5).

Notre Dame (-5.5) over DUKE: If the Irish — the superior team in their last-second loss to Ohio State — can remember to put 11 defenders on the field, they should be able to take advantage of an opponent experiencing pressure for the first time in decades.

South Carolina (+12) over TENNESSEE: In the Vols’ lone loss this season, Florida’s Graham Mertz completed 79 percent of his passes. Tennessee, which ranks 110th in completion percentage allowed, will have greater trouble slowing the more explosive Spencer Rattler, who has completed 84.8 percent of his passes — for an average of 329 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions — in games that didn’t come against top-ranked Georgia.

Alabama (-14.5) over MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs have been held to single-digits in five straight meetings with the Tide, losing by an average of 32 points. An Alabama defense that’s allowed no more than 10 points in three of its four games this season will lead the way once more.

ARIZONA (+18.5) over Washington: Despite my growing affection for the Huskies — and their +4000 national title ticket in my possession — I expect Arizona to show up at home after looking past lowly Stanford. And I thank the Kid for unknowingly inspiring the all-Wildcats parlay.

Best bets: Kentucky, Kansas, South Carolina

This season: 24-34-2 (3-9)

2014-22 record: 1,150-1,082-25

hkussoy@nypost.com