Going into his now-or-never season, Lincoln Riley is acting like someone who’s on the clock.

His own.

The USC coach appears genuinely relaxed in interviews, filling reporters’ recorders with thoughtful answers and patiently indulging even the most inane questions.

He’s having fun in practice, recently taking a simulated snap and running step for step with a running back before pitching him the ball.

The guy doesn’t seem to be feeling any heat, even while wearing black shirts that absorb every ray of summer sun and inhabiting a Los Angeles landscape dotted with USC football billboards proclaiming, “THE TIME IS : NOW.”

Being on Riley Time means existing in a good place, even with the college football world set to pounce should his Trojans once again fall short of the College Football Playoff.

Here’s the thing: One tends to feel that way when they believe they’re on the brink of something special. And Riley definitely is giving off that vibe as his 14th-ranked team prepares to open its season against San Jose State on Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum.

“I mean, I am excited and confident about what we’re doing — I mean, that’s real,” Riley said this week. “So, do I have that feeling of confidence and is that fun, is it fun to see some of these things that we’ve been working on for years and years start to come to fruition or come to fruition?

“Yeah, sure it is — it’s been a long road here, and so seeing some of those things that came true that were just ideas years ago or thoughts or hopes or whatever, that’s fun to see, and it does energize you and excite you.”

The road to 2026 has been fraught with enough disappointment to get a coach fired at a less patient place. Failing to match the success he had at Oklahoma, where his teams made the CFP in three of five seasons, Riley’s first four USC teams all lost at least three games. His Trojans haven’t won a bowl game more consequential than the Holiday.

What makes this team different? Riley’s got a lengthy list.

Start with the new guy brought in to dispense with the same old problem.

Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson is a walking Hall of Famer who still packs a wallop, the 66-year-old having knocked a player backward in spring practice while demonstrating how to tackle.

“That fire’s still burning very, very hot,” Riley said, “and he is very, very engaged with every single thing that we’re doing and very motivated.”

The same goes for Jayden Maiava, the veteran quarterback entering his third season in the program and second as the full-time starter. Riley noted that sort of experience matters given that the quarterbacks in last season’s national championship game — Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Miami’s Carson Beck — were both multiyear starters.

Maiava is graced with possibly the best 1-2 running back punch in the Big Ten in Waymond Jordan and King Miller, not to mention an offensive line sufficiently stocked to withstand the loss of center Kilian O’Connor to a season-ending leg injury.

Increased depth on the offensive and defensive lines — which Riley has called the best since his arrival — is another reason he’s so bullish. Defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart goes down with a foot injury for at least the season opener? Riley said there’s a slew of veterans and younger players capable of filling that void.

Anyone nursing an injury will undoubtedly benefit from the ultramodern rehabilitation and recovery facilities inside the recently unveiled $200 million Bloom Football Performance Center. Safety Alex Graham raved about the regenerative effects of a water-flow bed.

“Oh, my goodness,” Graham said, “30 seconds and I’m sleeping.” 

The gleaming complex is the ultimate symbol for a team seeking to move into a new era.

Occupying a massive chunk of the zero-gravity recliners in the locker room is a top-ranked freshman class that might not take a backseat to anyone, with tight end Mark Bowman, defensive end Luke Wafle and wide receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt listed as starters on the first depth chart.

Could it all come crashing down?

Sure.

Maybe injuries pile up, the freshmen falter or the defense doesn’t take the anticipated step forward.

A killer schedule includes showdowns against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 Indiana — with the games against the Buckeyes and Hoosiers coming back to back. Riley must also shed his habit of enduring an unexpected stumble to finally make the CFP.

But if things go the way Riley anticipates, this could just be the start of an era that will make him want to continue savoring every moment.

“I do have a lot of confidence in the football team that I think we have a chance to be,” Riley said, “and really the program that we have a chance to be in the next several years. I mean, it’s a fun job right now for sure.”