Lincoln Riley said what you expected him to say after the Trojans lost to Notre Dame in embarrassing fashion on the road Saturday night. The Trojans suffered their first loss of the season, but out of conference, it did nothing to limit their goal of playing for a Pac-12 title.

And the USC coach still believes his team can play for a Pac-12 title.

“Still very much believe in this football team, 1000%,” Riley said after the game. “The good that you see from this football team is good enough to beat anybody, but we obviously know we’ve got to put it together and put it together quickly to get our best and to get it from all three sides.”

USC got a decent defensive performance on Saturday in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. The Irish had just 251 yards of offense. Three of their scoring drives (17 points) gained 12 yards or less. Notre Dame scored on a kickoff return right after USC cut the lead to 11 in the fourth.

Riley said the Trojans put the defense “in so many terrible positions.”

Five turnovers and sloppy special teams play doomed USC.

“Disappointed, certainly not defeated,” Riley said after the game.

“Our good plays are good enough. Our bad plays are really hurting us right now.”

The head coach stressed to his team and to the media after the game that they still have everything ahead of them. He referenced a one-point loss to Utah on the road a year ago, when he told the group not to let a loss beat them twice.

That Trojan team rallied and made an appearance in the Pac-12 title game. It ultimately lost, but USC got to the game in Year 1 under Riley.

In Year 2, there’s even more pressure to get back to the game.

USC will get to face that same Utah program at home next Saturday. After that, it takes a trip to Cal before a three-game swing against Washington, Oregon (on the road), and UCLA.

“I reminded the team and want to remind everybody we’re undefeated in this conference right now. We play in what I think is the best conference in college football, top to bottom,” Riley said. “And every opportunity that we want is waiting for us, including a big one seven days from now in Los Angeles.”