The USC Trojans enter their bye week with a respectable 4-1 record and a 2-1 record in the Pac-12. The team has won all but one of its games, but there is concern around the program with regards to the defense. This week's break should give the players some time to rest up and return with energy to begin its second slate of games.
Over the past two weeks, USC has given up an average of 42.0 points to the two Arizona schools (Arizona and Arizona State). The Trojans cannot afford to give up that many points while still pulling out victories this season, and they will need to tighten things up with prolific scoring teams Stanford (seventh-best scoring offense in the country) and Oregon (best scoring offense in the country) on the docket later in the year.
This week should allow the defense to recover from the season's first five weeks and return with fresh legs. The bye week also provides time for the Trojans to step back and examine what needs to be improved on. In a sport where teams are on the field every weekend, a two-week break could give USC the time it needs to right the ship and start piecing together a run of victories.
The Trojans return to action on Oct. 13th at Cal, and USC follows up with two big tests at Notre Dame and against Stanford. The true measure of how much the bye week ultimately helps the Trojans will be determined by their performance during this three-game stretch.