What Will Another USC Road Win Mean?

The toughest stretch of USC's schedule was always going to be the final six-game backstretch, which included two of the toughest road environments in the country. The Trojans survived the Whiteout at Penn State with a win, and now they have a chance to jump around at Camp Randall. Another road victory would move USC one step closer to its first College Football Playoff berth.

If the Trojans get to 7-1 (3-1) and improve to 3-0 on the road in Big Ten play, some of the doubt surrounding their playoff chances should begin to dissipate. It would also leave them with just one more true road game to navigate when they travel to Bloomington to face Indiana in November.

So here's the question: How much credit will USC actually get for winning these games when the playoff committee sits down?

Will victories over Rutgers, a Penn State team that has yet to win a conference game, and a Wisconsin team that has more trouble scoring points than I'd have getting a date with Sydney Sweeney be enough to impress the selection committee? Or will the Trojans find themselves being judged less on their record and more on the perceived quality of the teams they've beaten?

Winning on the road was supposed to be Lincoln Riley's Achilles' heel. 

Another win gives USC an opportunity to put that narrative to rest, one road stadium at a time. But does it really matter if the Trojans win away from home when the opposition hasn't lived up to expectations? A win is a win, however, apparently, not all wins are created equal when it comes to judging the Trojans.

Because if USC continues to get dinged for losing at home to Oregon, a team many believed was poised to compete for a national championship, then why isn't the same scrutiny being applied elsewhere?

Take UCLA, for example. The Bruins are ranked No. 9 nationally, despite a résumé that raises legitimate questions about whom they've actually beaten. How does that happen? Is it the undefeated record? The untrained eye test? Or are we simply giving UCLA the benefit of the doubt while waiting for USC to prove it deserves the same consideration?

Maybe the goalposts have shifted a little, however, there does seem to be a double standard when it comes to USC. And, to be fair, it's a double standard the Trojans have earned. Past USC teams established a certain level of expectation, and winning big games is what matters at a program that measures success in championships, and not moral victories.

The good news for Lincoln Riley and Trojan fans postseason plans is that USC still has opportunities to change the narrative.

The Trojans can make the home loss to Oregon a distant memory when Ohio State comes to the Coliseum for a sold-out Halloween showdown. They can make another statement on the road against Indiana, and then finish the regular season by heading up the 110 Freeway to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA.--Like I said, one more true road game.

However, first, there's Madison.

Will a close win over Wisconsin be enough, or does USC need to win convincingly and put some style points on the board? Riley has been criticized for his teams' road performances, and rightfully so. However, if the Trojans keep winning in hostile environments, at what point do those victories become evidence of real progress instead of being dismissed because of the teams on the other sideline?

Another road win this weekend would move USC closer to its playoff goal and offer more evidence that this team is learning how to win the games it needs to win, in the places it needs to win them.

At some point, the results have to matter more than the narrative. USC can take another step toward proving that in Madison. Whether the playoff committee gives the Trojans the credit they deserve is another matter entirely.