LOS ANGELES -- The last time that USC got a week off, it came back with a trip to Wisconsin and a 24-7 loss. Its seven points were the fewest ever by a Lincoln Riley-led offense. Now, after a 30-18 upset of No. 2 Ohio State that sent fans storming onto the field of a rain-soaked Coliseum on Halloween night, USC is off again. From the head coach down, the message is that this bye week will not look like the last.
Lincoln Riley said the difference starts with how the roster feels.
"I think regardless of how the games have went and regardless of who we're playing next, just the way it sets up from a schedule standpoint, we're just a lot more fresh than we were from the first one," he said. "Where our roster is at, our health is at, allows us to be a little bit more aggressive this week."
He framed the second break as a chance to apply lessons, not repeat old ones, and said almost nothing about the week is the same.
"That's one of the benefits of having two of these. You get a chance to see how the team responds...then you get kind of a second run at it," Riley said. "There's quite a few things that'll be different in terms of really everything. The schedule, how long we give the guys off at the end of the week, what we do during the week, the content of the practices...there's a lot more differences than there are similarities."
The players described that same shift in simpler terms. Asked how much of the week is physical versus psychological, especially after how the previous bye week ended, offensive lineman Elijah Paige gave an answer that reflected the team's refrain.
"We're not letting our foot off the gas," Paige said. "We're going. This is just like any other week. This is our standard week."
Receiver Trent Mosley said the danger at this point of the season is more about drift than fatigue. The whole approach is built to prevent it.
"I think a big part of this point of the season is to continue doing what you're doing," he said. "This is a time where people may fall off...they can get complacent or tired. They stop doing the little things, the details."
His solution is to refuse to treat the week like a break at all, just as Paige emphasized.
"This is not a bye week for us. This is a standard week, and you uphold the standard...go out there and attack every day."
Against the Buckeyes, that standard showed up on the stat sheet. Mosley took a screen pass 69 yards to the house on the second play from scrimmage, coming against a defense that hadn't allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season. Tight end Mark Bowman later one-upped Mosley, hurdling a defender and breaking multiple tackles during a 70-yard completion. Mosley had high praise for his fellow freshman.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
Mark Bowman #19 of the USC Trojans hurdles a defender during an NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, October 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
"He's just the best," Mosley said. "He can play all aspects of the game...he dominates. He runs around like a receiver, catches like a receiver, and then he blocks like a lineman. That's everything you want in a tight end."
Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who threw for 222 yards in the victory, spread the credit around the offense but singled out the two freshmen who gave USC its biggest plays.
"I mean, it's pretty special," Maiava said. "They're the reason why we got that win for sure."
The players were also careful not to get carried away. Bowman, who was a game-time decision against Ohio State after missing over a month with a hamstring injury, said the experience taught him to keep an even keel.
"I think the positive I got out of it was to understand that this game could be taken away from you in an instant, and to be more appreciative every time I step out on that field," Bowman said. "You're never too high on your highs or too low on your lows."
Riley made the same point from the top down. He admitted that the win was exciting but called it far from the team's best, and said there was a lot to correct on Sunday.
"It was very important for us to learn from it and get that game behind us," he said. "We got in here Sunday, and it was like, 'We got to get past it.'"
That discipline matters as the stakes continue to rise. USC sits at No. 20 in the first official CFP rankings released Tuesday afternoon, and Riley insisted the goals haven't changed.
"We're very aware that we control our own destiny. There's no question about that. So we just need to keep focusing on us."
Next up for the Trojans upon their return to play is a trip to Indiana, the reigning national champion and current No. 4 in the CFP rankings. How they use this second bye will play a big role in deciding how they show up with their playoff lives on the line.