USC Trojans Can’t Look Past Wisconsin with Ohio State Game Looming

USC will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 24, when they travel to Wisconsin after having its first of two bye weeks this season.

The bye week came at the perfect time for the 6-1 Trojans, who had played a game every week since Aug. 29.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Freshman Class Big Ten Wisconsin Badgers Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming off an emotional road victory over Penn State on Oct. 10, this past week allowed them to reset collectively. Some key starters such as left tackle Elijah Paige, defensive lineman Jide Abasiri and freshman tight end Mark Bowman, all of whom are battling injuries, had an extra week to recover.

And not that USC hadn’t already, but they were able to fully see the benefits of its brand-new $225 million Bloom Football Performance Center.

“It's going to help a lot, it already has,” Riley said. “We've definitely felt the impact of it. Our team has advantages, and therefore is better because of it. Obviously, this is the inaugural season in it, but as these seasons go on, the impact of it will be felt even more because that's when these guys' bodies start to wear down, right? All the reps and all the leaks start to stack upon one another, and the ability to recover.”

Another Tough Road Challenge

A trip to Madison to face Wisconsin requires the Trojans full and undivided attention because we all know what is waiting for them the following week on Oct. 31, Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were one of three games every USC fan had circled heading into the season, which also included Oregon and Indiana.

But that’s next week.

Despite only have one loss, nothing has changed with the Trojans since losing to Oregon in late September. It’s still a one game season every week for Lincoln Riley’s squad. The pressure surrounding the USC head coach is still at an all-time high.

No disrespect to Wisconsin, who after a 7-win season in 2023 and back-to-back losing seasons in 2024 and 2025 has started to pick up some momentum under coach Luke Fickell in 2026. This isn't the same team as they have been in years past, but USC unquestionably has more talent than and should, that being the operative word, handle the Badgers.

They can’t afford to stumble on the road this upcoming weekend, especially considering they have matchups against teams that are ranked in the top 10 in the latest AP Poll.

Southern Cal played its best game on the road against Penn State since joining the Big Ten by a wide margin. Can they replicate that again?

After the game, Riley said the win over the Nittany Lions would spark them the second half of the season. He also issued a warning, telling the rest of college football to "watch out" for the Trojans.

They're a young team with an extremely talented group of freshmen that are quickly ascending and quite frankly don't look or play like ordinary freshman. But all of Riley's bold proclimations need to come to light and that starts with their week 8 matchup against Wisconsin, not their week 9 matchup against Ohio State.

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