USC is obviously preparing for Utah and has its mind fully set on Utah, but next week, the Trojans will have the week off. Lincoln Riley and his staff will certainly do some recruiting during their off week. They will give their players a lot of much-needed rest after seven straight weeks of football. Guys will need to get away from football for a few days and take a deep breath before the home stretch, which begins with an Oct. 29 road game in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats.
One other thing Riley and his staff will do is begin to look at film of the two big opponents at the end of the schedule this year, UCLA and Notre Dame. UCLA plays at Oregon on Oct. 22, so you know Riley and his staff will be watching that game to gather information on the Bruins and the Ducks. The Bruins are a guaranteed opponent; Oregon could be a foe in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The other big late-season opponent is Notre Dame. The Irish play Stanford this weekend.
We talked to Fighting Irish Wire about Stanford, and we have some other insights to add about the Cardinal: