Big Ten Power Rankings Week 10: Can Lincoln Riley Lead USC On A Late Playoff Charge?

Big Ten Power Rankings, Week 10: Can Lincoln Riley lead USC on a late charge?

That question suddenly dominates the conversation across the conference.

Only a short time ago, the outlook in Southern California appeared bleak.

College football had already witnessed seismic coaching movement with the firing of Mike Norvell.

National observers were openly compiling lists of head coaches sitting firmly on the hot seat.

Lincoln Riley found his name placed squarely under that harsh national microscope.

A frustrating loss to Wisconsin had pushed the program into a dangerous position.

USC faced a brutal closing schedule featuring three top-ten opponents.

A four-loss or five-loss regular season suddenly felt entirely realistic.

Finishing the year at 7-5 would have almost certainly spelled doom for Riley's tenure.

Pundits and critics were effectively drafting the head coach's Los Angeles eulogy.

Then came the Halloween night showdown in Los Angeles.

A SHOCK IN THE LOS ANGELES RAIN

Playing in the rain, the Trojans delivered their absolute best performance of the season.

They stood tall against then-No.

1 Ohio State and secured a convincing 30-18 victory.

The triumph over the Buckeyes ranks as the greatest win of the season for the Trojans.

It also stands as the signature victory of Riley's five years leading the program.

Ecstatic USC supporters poured out of the stands to storm the field after the final whistle.

That memorable Halloween celebration provided extended euphoria for the entire fan base.

The unexpected upset instantly bought Riley precious time.

National analysts, however, quickly noted that one win does not provide a clean slate.

Riley himself even earned a major national award in the aftermath of the victory.

Yet the head coach immediately sought to ground his locker room.

Riley pointed out that good games are never quite as flawless as they seem.

He emphasized that bad games are never completely as disastrous as they appear either.

USC entered its Sunday film session with an urgent desire to turn the page.

Riley knew the outside world wanted to spend days basking in the upset.

"Our whole little world here is going to want to keep talking about that game," Riley said.

He acknowledged that people outside the building should continue to enjoy the moment.

"Like us, we got in here Sunday, and it was like 'We got to get past it,'" Riley explained.

The coach stressed the need to push focus forward immediately.

"There's still so much to correct and get better at," Riley stated.

He rejected the notion that the Buckeyes win was a perfect performance.

"It was far from perfect," Riley said of the tape.

USC controlled key areas of the contest to dictate the final score.

Even so, the defense surrendered an uncomfortable number of explosive plays.

Riley made it clear that the Trojans must elevate their play even higher.

THE ROAD DEMONS HAUNTING RILEY

Now sitting at 7-2, the Trojans suddenly see a path back to relevance.

If USC can keep winning, an improbable run toward the College Football Playoff could open up.

Achieving that goal requires solving a persistent problem that has plagued Riley's tenure.

USC has struggled mightily whenever it leaves the friendly confines of home.

Over the past three seasons, the Trojans are just 5-7 away from home in Big Ten matchups.

One of those five victories merely required a bus ride across Los Angeles to play UCLA.

Riley's program also suffered a painful road defeat at Notre Dame during that span.

This season has offered little reassurance regarding their composure away from home.

USC required late-game grit just to escape Rutgers with a narrow victory.

They had to survive a tense one-score finish against a Penn State squad that sits at 1-4 in Big Ten play.

Then came the absolute rock bottom in Madison against Wisconsin.

USC entered Camp Randall Stadium as the betting favorite and completely unraveled.

That humiliating 24-7 loss proved to be the lowest point total for Riley as a career play-caller.

An offense that averaged 32.8 points per game produced a measly seven points.

The Badgers sacked quarterback Jayden Maiava five times during the contest.

USC finished the afternoon with minus-17 rushing yards.

Wisconsin simply bullied the Trojans up the middle throughout the second half.

CHANGING THE BYE WEEK BLUEPRINT

That embarrassing collapse in Madison came directly after USC's first bye week of the season.

Before that initial break, USC had celebrated an emotional 31-23 White Out victory at Penn State.

Riley had circled that trip to State College as proof of his team's road maturity.

USC then chose to treat the ensuing open week as a time for soft recovery.

Key contributors Mark Bowman, Jide Abasiri, and Elijah Paige had missed the Penn State battle.

Riley aimed to get his roster healthy and granted his players the entire weekend off.

That laid-back approach resulted in a team that looked completely flat against Wisconsin.

Now, Riley has promised an entirely different formula for this second bye week.

USC finds itself ranked No. 18 in the country as it prepares for the homestretch.

When asked about his preparation plan on Monday, Riley was blunt.

"We do absolutely nothing that we did the previous one," Riley stated.

The coaching staff scrapped the emphasis on pure rest and relaxation.

Instead, Riley turned up the heat on the practice field.

The Trojans are leaning into physical practices designed to keep everyone sharp.

Riley believes the roster is naturally fresher this time around despite the grind.

"We're doing a lot different," Riley remarked regarding the schedule adjustments.

He emphasized that the current calendar allows the team to attack preparation with high intensity.

THE HOOSIER HURDLE IN BLOOMINGTON