As USC prepares to play Wisconsin, the Trojans know they have had two weeks to rest, get healthy, and sharpen up for the stretch run of their season. USC needs to look like a new and better team against the Badgers.

Let's start with some history: The lesson of the Lincoln Riley era at USC is to not expect the Trojans to do anything the easy way. They did win at Penn State, which marks real improvement for a program which has consistently struggled to win Big Ten road games under Riley. However, that's a low bar. We can all see how mediocre Penn State is. The Nittany Lions lost to Michigan after losing to USC. The Trojans have a below-average defense, and so USC might be the get-right tonic for Wisconsin's offense. Should USC be favored? Probably, based on its eight-point win at Penn State. Does this mean the Trojans will get the job done? Hardly. This feels like a very close game, but whether USC wins or loses, don't expect the Trojans to have a smooth evening with no bumps in the road. It's not how they have historically operated on the road under Lincoln Riley.

USC did need a week off. Not only does an off week give players a chance to rest, but in USC's case, the Trojans had played on seven consecutive weekends dating all the way back to August 29. When a team plays on that many consecutive weekends, it really needs a break. The key player USC is likely to get back for the Wisconsin game is tight end Mark Bowman. He has potential as a downfield pass catcher, but he is already a very good blocker who adds structure and balance to the USC offense. The Trojans were missing something when he was out the past few weeks. Trent Mosley is a more important player, but Bowman is right behind him in terms of value to USC's offense and quarterback Jayden Maiava. There are some defensive players who have a chance to get healthy during the off week, but the defense is a lot weaker than the offense. It's more important for the offense to be able to max out. That's where the off week can help USC more.

USC needs to look like a refreshed, recharged team with a higher ceiling than what we have seen so far. If we get a team which wins comfortably - and not in the close, ugly way we are accustomed to seeing - that will improve the outlook for this team going into the defining stretch of games against Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA.