Conventional thinking has long been, especially in a season like USC is having, that the significance of attaining bowl eligibility with six wins is as much about the 15 bowl practices it gave a team as it is about the game itself.

But Trojans coach Lincoln Riley, his team needing to win two of its final three games to qualify for a bowl game, gave interesting perspective on how that has changed in recent years.

For Riley, it's actually more about these next three games -- starting Saturday vs. Nebraska in the Coliseum (1 p.m. on FOX) -- than anything that might come after.

"Yeah, we've talked a little bit with the team about it. After the Washington game we talked about it a little bit. I think you've got to be fair with the guys and set the stage on where we're at and what we have left to attain," Riley said of bowl goals. "I think to me the biggest piece is making progress and going and playing the way that we want to play and expect to play here in the last three games. I mean, you've got three great opportunities. I mean, you've got a great matchup here, two of the most historic successful programs in college football history, and then obviously our two rivalry games to finish it off.

"So I think very important for us to, I think more than anything, we want to go play the way we're capable of, we want to go finish, we want to go take advantage of these opportunities and build momentum going into the offseason."

Riley continued that changes to the sport over the years -- including an early signing period (Dec. 4-6 this year) that has coaching staffs focused on closing out their recruiting classes -- have taken some of the value out of a December practice window.

"Certainly, going to a bowl and getting that opportunity can be a great thing. The world of the bowls is a little bit different with the schedules and there's not as much practice time and all that as they're used to be just because of all that's evolved," Riley said. "One of the trains of thought was obviously, yeah, you get a chance to go develop and practice and all that -- that's been minimized a little bit. I'm not saying there's still not some value there, but I think the bigger thing for us is we've obviously been on the cusp all year and the team has hung in there, has obviously fought their tails off, and I just think it's important to the group to really finish the right way and continue to lift this program up.

"So I think that's been the main message, but certainly there's kind of mini goals within it -- certainly putting ourselves in position to go to a bowl game is something that our guys are very aware of."

With all of that said, though, these next three games are still very much about the future for the Trojans, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava makes his much-anticipated first USC start.

The UNLV transfer has had two weeks of taking first-team reps to ready for his moment and what begins essentially an extended audition for the 2025 starting job.

As we do each week, our TrojanSports.com staff traded thoughts on the key storylines -- namely Maiava's debut -- and made predictions for the game as the Trojans (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten) host the Cornhuskers (5-4, 2-4).

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What is your expectation for Jayden Maiava in his first start, both generally and in terms of stat prediction?

Ryan Young: "I think it will be a mixed bag, definitely with some notable highlights but also probably a costly turnover. My biggest question is how aggressive will Maiava choose to be or how aggressive with Lincoln Riley want to be with him? I think Maiava has the potential to elevate the downfield passing attack in a fun way, but I don't know if in his first start either he or the play-calling will be that aggressive. I'll go with something like 240 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and add in 25 rushing yards and a score."

Tajwar Khandaker: "I've had a bit of trouble trying to predict how Maiava will do in this first start, and I've honestly kind of given up. The gifts are amazing, but his UNLV film showed a player that still required significant development in his processing of the game. So the question is, how much has he managed to develop in his less than one year to date under Lincoln Riley? It's a question that I feel I have no ability to answer accurately with the information available to me right now. I'm inclined to think that he'll manage solid production both as a passer and on the ground, owing largely to his ability to attack downfield and his ability to become involved in an already-effective running game. All the same, I don't expect him to have gotten all the kinks out of his system yet and imagine that he'll likely have a number of serious mistakes throughout this one that might result in turnovers. If I had to give a projection, I'd say he reaches about 260 passing yards on 62%, runs for about another 35, scores 3 total touchdowns, and has 2 turnovers."

Jeff McCulloch: "I think Jayden Maiava comes into this starting role and really fires the team up. He just brings in a different skill set to this team. The players have been telling us every time we talked to them how he has a MASSIVE arm. Miller Moss struggled to throw downfield throughout this season and I can see that changing this game. My prediction is he throws two touchdown passes and rushes for another touchdown. I also expect him to throw an early pick in this game as there is going to be a ton of nerves. Maiava is under a ton of pressure to turn this team around and bring some energy into this program."

Will USC become bowl eligible and bowl much does it matter?

Tajwar: "Right now, I don't feel very good about USC winning two of its three remaining games; I'd put the odds right at 50/50. I am of the belief that it does matter, not because of the extra practices or anything on the field, but rather because of what it means to the perception of this team heading into the offseason. This team should not have dropped a single one of its five losses to date -- the Trojans' issue has fundamentally been an inability to win. To be able to salvage anything from this season, the Trojans must show that they can win to close out the year, and making a bowl game is the benchmark they've got to reach at this point. Vibes are everything in college football, especially with regard to recruiting and players making transfer decisions. Think about how poor the vibes are for this team right now, and how much worse they might get if this squad ends the year at .500 or worse and doesn't make a bowl. Accordingly, I think USC really has to find a way to get to the postseason, regardless of how meaningless that bowl game may actually be.

Jeff: "That is a big concern. This is the game USC needs to win if it wants to have any chance of becoming bowl eligible. The Trojans will most likely lose to Notre Dame. UCLA, before its loss last night, had improved tremendously. The UCLA game was a penciled-in W before the season started, but now it’s a tougher game. I think it is very important for USC to become bowl-eligible. It would be embarrassing for the program to finish with a losing record. Recruits won’t be happy and it’s going to be a tough sell to come to a historic program that’s not even bowl-eligible. These are some dark times for USC fans and it really shouldn’t be. It is quite frustrating as the talent is there in this team that just needs to be coached better."

Ryan: "If I had to guess, which I suppose is the point here, I'll say no. I just can't shake what happened last year after things went off a cliff and there was no salvaging anything -- even with Caleb Williams at the helm. I've seen these seasons play out too many times. Frankly, it's hard to turn things around when the losses mount and the goals disappear. This will be the telling gauge, coming off a bye, with some jolt of intrigue from the quarterback change, as to whether the Trojans are still locked in fully across the board or if the toll of losing has already set in. We know full well that this team is capable of winning two out of three -- or at least having fourth quarter leads and the opportunity to do so -- but we also know if could lose each of these remaining games. I'll share Tajwar's 50-50 percentage projection of USC becoming bowl eligible."

Aside from Maiava, what do you most want to see from this team the rest of the way?

Ryan: "It's all about knowing what USC has for 2025 at this point. Please, for my sanity, give Quinten Joyner some touches in the backfield! I don't care if he whiffs a couple times in pass protection, or even if he fumbles again -- let him learn on the job a little while also maybe building some confidence by ripping off some long runs. Give him something to be excited about entering the offseason so he doesn't have to weigh his options on whether he has a future here or not. I'm not saying that's where his mindset is -- but it is the reality of college football at this point. He's too talented to have been buried so much this season. This doesn't have to come at the expense of Woody Marks and his quest for 1,000 rushing yards. Just run the ball more in general and get Joyner some work!

"Along with that, the other guys I want to see as many reps from as possible the rest of the way are defensive ends Kameryn Fountain and Sam Greene, linebacker Desman Stephens, safeties Zion Branch and Christian Pierce and, if healthy, I'd like to see freshman cornerback Marcelles Williams finally get some work. So they at least know what they have with those guys who could all be key foundation pieces for next year."

Jeff: "This is the easiest question to answer. I feel like I've said this before, but THEY NEED TO RUN THE BALL. It’s crazy how this is a talking point still. You have an incredibly talented running back room and they have shown it so far this year. When you get the running game going throughout the game, it opens up the passing game and that’s exactly what you need for Jayden Maiava to be successful."

Tajwar: "Not to belabor the point too much, but they have to find ways to win games! They've been capable of winning all year, and their problem is that they haven't done it nearly enough. They've played up to better teams and lost, and played down to worse teams and still lost. They've just got to find ways to win these games, no matter what. To that end, I agree, the thing I think would help them most and what I'd like to see is an emphasis on running the ball more. I've more or less given up hope on that front at this point, but a man wants what he wants."

What’s your score prediction for Saturday and why?

Tajwar: "Nebraska, 31-28. I could see this one going either way, but I've learned not to count out the Trojans' ability to lose games. On paper, this is a close matchup that should lean toward the Trojans thanks to the advantage of home field. Nebraska features a hyper-talented quarterback and a strong offensive line, but it's bereft of skill talent on that side of the ball. The defense however is quite strong, and it remains to be seen just how capable the Jayden Maiava-led USC offense is. I'm picking the Huskers by a hair here, but nothing would surprise me at this point."

Ryan: "USC, 31-28. Same score, different outcome! Nebraska has lost three straight and named a new offensive coordinator this week -- Dana Holgorsen -- who wasn't with the program until coming in as an analyst a week earlier. Give some boost to home field advantage, the excitement for Maiava's first start and I think the Trojans squeak one out."

Jeff: "I think USC wins this game 38-28. I think Maiava shines, but I think and I hope they really run the ball. If they do, they will win. I expect Woody Marks to rush for over 100 yards. Maiava will throw for over 200 yards and rush for 50 yards. This defense will have its fair share of troubles against the freshman five-star quarterback in Dylan Raiola, but he is a freshman. I expect D’Anton Lynn to pressure the quarterback every chance he gets."