The necessary steps were taken this offseason to win games like the one No. 12 USC will play Saturday afternoon against No. 20 Oregon. Whether it happens and the Trojans can stiff-arm recent failures against elite competition remains to be seen. USC has produced explosive offenses and its share of memorable moments throughout coach Lincoln Riley's tenure, but too often the Trojans have folded when opponents bring comparable talent and greater physicality to the table.
Armed with college football's No. 1 signing class -- which is already making a substantial impact -- and schematic changes defensively, USC's first Big Ten litmus test of the season is here. Riley's career record against ranked teams is commendable, but he hasn't experienced the same level of success at USC as he did at Oklahoma, where he was the annual frontrunner in the Big 12. A win over the Ducks would provide tangible evidence that Riley's program has learned from big-game mistakes and can finally handle the narrative-setting matchups that matter most.
The Trojans are just 5-14 (.263) overall against AP Top 25 opponents under Riley, including a 2-5 mark over the last two seasons against Big Ten competition. Oregon is the first of four remaining matchups this season for USC against nationally ranked opponents, joining No. 13 Penn State, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana. And if the Trojans intend on reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time under Riley, they'll have to at least split those matchups without any hiccups elsewhere.
After losing at No. 13 Notre Dame last season, a week after beating Michigan, Riley said he felt like USC was on the verge of turning the corner in spotlight matchups. "We've put ourselves in position to win a lot of these games," Riley said. "You've gotta go win them.
In your ascent as a program, that's one of the last steps. Because it's the hardest thing to do." Oregon answered Dan Lanning's call to play with more ferocity during an 84-point beatdown of Portland State, but that was a glorified scrimmage for the Ducks coming off the resounding loss at Oklahoma State. Lanning will find out more about his team this weekend in Los Angeles and see if there are any remnants of the squad that entered last season's CFP at 11-1 overall with the No. 5 seed after mostly coasting through the Big Ten.
Oregon was ranked No. 7 last season when No. 15 USC came to Autzen Stadium in November for a matchup with CFP billing. The Ducks responded with a 42-27 victory, halting the Trojans' promising 8-2 start that had Riley's team on the verge of the 12-team bracket as a possible at-large selection. The Week 4 showdown this time around is not a CFP elimination game, but it does set the tone for the rest of the way.
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