The question seemed innocuous enough, but it triggered whatever was already simmering within USC coach Lincoln Riley on Thursday.

Just two days earlier, Riley had said how the Trojans were still chasing the kind of complete performance where all three units are peaking at the same time. They were coming off a 41-35 win against Cal in which the offense had just 13 points until the final minute of the second quarter before eventually building a big lead while the defense then nearly gave it all back in the fourth quarter.

"We stunk offensively in the first half, we stunk defensively in the second half, and the thing this team has done a phenomenal job of up to this point -- I mean, phenomenal, that's why we've had a chance to win every single game -- is we've rarely had stretches where we didn't play well on both sides," Riley said. "It's typically been, the defense is playing really well -- and there's tons of examples -- and offense is sputtering along, and then we've had a few obviously vice-versa too. We've done a great job of covering up for each other, and that's why we've had chances to win and we've won all of them but one.

"We obviously all are pushing hard to want to surge that and kind of feel that and be able to play well on both sides together. We've had a few stretches this year, but we're all striving for that. We're striving for it on offense, defense, special teams."

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So it seemed a perfectly logical question Thursday morning when Riley was asked what it might do for the confidence of the No. 8-ranked Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) to deliver one of those aforementioned complete performances Friday night in a conducive matchup against Colorado (1-8, 1-5).

Something in that question teed Riley up ...

"I don't know if it would have a ton to do with the confidence. We have a confident group. ... I mean, you win eight of your first nine, you're going to be pretty confident, and we're pretty confident right now and know that we can play better. For us, [we] just see that as a constant climb. That's really what this thing is. It's a true journey, and there's still so much left to go in terms of opportunities, impactful opportunities for our program," he said. "These guys are very, very excited about this one. We've put ourselves in a great position, and I've got to be honest, I think that's getting lost around here a little bit. Like, don't forget where this thing was last year, and I think a lot of people have. Like, we're 8-1, with everything in front of us. Let's make sure we have some perspective around here."

Riley was just warming up ...

"And again, regardless if this program won the national championship the year before, all right, or this program lost a bunch of games the year before, we're in a phenomenal position. And every person that supports USC football -- whether they do or not -- they ought to recognize that," he continued. "I just want to make sure that's not getting lost around here. We're damn sure not letting it get lost in our locker room. We're in a tremendous, tremendous spot and really excited about it. And, obviously, our expectation is to go play extremely well on all three sides, and I believe we will."

Maybe it was in response to reporters asking so many questions about the defensive struggles lately, or maybe Riley or someone close to him glanced at Twitter last weekend. Hard to say.

Whatever the prompt, most USC fans are beyond appreciative of what has transpired this fall, as Riley, his staff and the influx of new talent onto the roster has transformed the Trojans from the program's 4-8 nadir last year to being one bold Utah two-point conversion away from an undefeated record through nine weeks.

As Riley noted, the Trojans are in a phenomenal position to both compete for a Pac-12 championship (just needing to handle their own business and have either Utah or Oregon stumble) and maybe even a College Football Playoff berth (more on that in the staff roundtable discussion).

But many fans already view the playoff potential as a bonus at this point, already content to see Trojans football trending upward at such an encouraging trajectory again.

Anyways, it was an interesting comment that reflects the inner fire Riley usually covers up with his even-keeled demeanor. It's shown itself a few other times -- most notably after that one-point loss at Utah, when Riley took aim at the officiating and emphasized that everything was still on the table for the Trojans.

A month later, it all indeed still is.

USC shouldn't run into any issues Friday night against the beleaguered Buffaloes, who rank among the worst teams in the country both offensively and defensively, who are in flux with an interim head coach and who just lost their emerging star freshman receiver Jordyn Tyson to a season-ending injury last week, removing one of the only bright spots for the team.

The Trojans are set as 34.5-point favorites by the oddsmakers. Thirty-four-and-a-half!

Whether this team needs any extra confidence or not, it's a prime opportunity to deliver that kind of complete performance Riley seeks.

For more on the key storylines at stake Friday, let's get into the weekly staff roundtable discussion/debate for our perspective and score predictions.

1. Make the case for Caleb Williams in the Heisman race ...

Tajwar Khandaker: "Perhaps the first point in Williams’ favor is the fact that there isn’t a clear-cut favorite or group for the award as there often is by this point in the year. Williams’ resume stacks up quite well against the opposition right now, made up primarily of quarterbacks C.J Stroud (Ohio State), Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), Drake Maye (North Carolina) and Bo Nix (Oregon), along with running back Blake Corum (Michigan). Among that set of quarterbacks, Williams’ boasts the best TD-Interception ratio at 28-1, the second-highest yardage total (both passing and total yards) at 2,742/3,029 (behind Maye's 2,964/3,477) and the third-most total touchdowns scored at 32 (Maye and Nix have 35 apiece).

"Williams currently has the third-best odds to win the Heisman, and both players ahead of him are coming off shaky weeks. Hooker had a very rough outing in Tennessee’s crushing loss to Georgia (23 of 33 for 195 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT), while Stroud has been uninspiring in back-to-back tight victories against Penn State and lowly Northwestern. Maye has been fantastic all year, but his 8-1 Tar Heels are unlikely to make a real push toward the playoff, hurting his chances. Nix, however, has been phenomenally productive week-in and week-out since the second game of the season, and he’s got a chance to really pad his case with big performances in key matchups down the final stretch of the year. If he can do that and take Oregon to a conference title, he might very well have a good shot at the award.

"But Williams will have something to say about that, given USC’s own solid chances to make it to the Pac-12 championship and topple the Ducks. Williams will have at least 2 huge nationally-watched matchups with UCLA and Notre Dame in the coming weeks as well as that possible conference title game afterward. If he’s able to sustain his recent stretch of exemplary play through those games and secure wins for USC, he’ll have both the stats and the narrative on his side for a Heisman victory."

Ryan Young: "I couldn't have laid it out any better myself, Tajwar. I agree he has a real shot because of what is still ahead. I don't want to restate everything you just said, so I'll add some further points that work in his favor. He's getting better as the season progresses, arguably playing his three best games the last three contests, in which he's averaged 384 passing yards (twice breaking his career-high), 36.3 rushing yards and has accounted for 15 touchdowns (14 passing, 1 rushing) and 0 turnovers in that stretch. One of those performances came in USC's lone loss as Williams was incredible in that 43-42 defeat at Utah (381 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 57 rushing yards) as the Trojans lost despite him. He's also played the last two weeks without his top two wide receivers and missing a starting offensive lineman in both games, and instead of seeing any dropoff as a result, he's helped make the Trojans' other wideouts stars for those weeks. Even in his worst game of the season, a statistical anomaly in that 17-14 win at Oregon State, he still led the game-winning drive and threw a precision dart for the go-ahead touchdown.

"I asked Riley for his thoughts on Williams' Heisman potential Thursday, and he said, 'Up to this point, I don't think there's been a better or more valuable player in college football than him.' I have to agree. It's too early to say who will win the Heisman -- the most important weeks under the most intense spotlights are yet to be played. But Williams absolutely has a chance to win it if he keeps playing like this."

Jeff McCulloch: "Yeah, as of now, this race is completely wide open. C.J. Stroud is still very much in the race as he has been this whole season. Hendon Hooker falls significantly in the Heisman race in my mind. Bo Nix and Drake Maye are surging, meanwhile. When figuring out who the Heisman winner is, there are two factors: the stats and the film. Maye leads the country in touchdown passes with 31, Stroud has 30 and Williams is in third with 28. The difference between these competitors is that Williams has only 1 interception to Maye's 3 and Stroud's 4. Now the eye test. We all know Stroud is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and will be a top 5 pick in the next NFL draft, but he doesn’t have the mobility Williams has. Maye is a redshirt freshman who has brought North Carolina football into the top 15, but he hasn’t played many tough defenses.

"Williams has shown time and time again, he is one of the best quarterbacks in college football and is a main reason why USC is No. 8 in the country. Many times, announcers talk about 'Heisman moments' in a game where the player just makes a special play no one else can do. We have all seen Williams have Heisman moments time and time again. Not only has Williams brought himself to the forefront of this conversation, he still has two, potentially three massive games left for him to truly gain that top spot. I would be surprised if he didn’t at least end up in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation."