Lincoln Riley joked with reporters earlier this week when asked what it would take for his team to match its first half of the season and win the final six games as well.

"Just six?" he said before quickly reeling that one back in, acknowledging that he knew how it would be taken. "Everybody calm down. No, we've got to get better. The target moves. What's good enough Week 1 is not good enough Week 3 is not good enough Week 7, not good enough Week 9."

But to this point the No. 7-ranked Trojans have been good enough week after week, doing it a little differently from one game to the next but ultimately delivering the first 6-0 start for the program since 2006.

Fans are understandably thinking about the College Football Playoff potential -- more than just the most optimistic of fans who started dreaming in that way the day Riley was hired 10.5 months ago.

RELATED: In-depth matchup breakdown of what challenges Utah presents to USC | PODCAST: Max Browne previews the matchup with Utah | UteNation.com's Alex Markham offers insight on Utah and his prediction for the game

So Riley, having led Oklahoma to three CFP appearances in his five seasons as head coach there, was asked Thursday if this USC team has played to that playoff-caliber level.

This time, a little closer to gametime of his team's much-anticipated showdown at No. 20 Utah on Saturday afternoon (5 p.m. PT on FOX), he wasn't going to even nibble playfully at the notion.

"Oh, I'm way too experienced for that question," he said with a big smile. "I definitely get where you're coming from. I mean, listen, all that stuff, I get it's good to write about and it's interesting and I get that people enjoy it. Like for us in here and for other teams that I've been on that have gotten to the playoff, you've just got to find ways to win. I know that sounds simple and obvious, but you just don't know at this point."

A win Saturday in Salt Lake City against the reigning Pac-12 champion Utes (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) would be another significant step in that direction, though.

Many circled this game on the schedule before the season as one of the pivotal ones that would ultimately decide the potential for this team. At this point, it sure looks like Saturday, the Nov. 19 showdown with presently-unbeaten UCLA and a potential Pac-12 championship game will be the top remaining hurdles to Riley and the Trojans turning an already remarkable first season together into a legendary one.

"We've put ourselves in a good position," he continued, "but I've seen it happen where we lose a game and all of sudden, I mean I heard it so many times the past several years -- we'd lose a game, it was like, 'Oh, playoffs are out.' Everyone would be like, 'Oklahoma's playoff chances are over, blah, blah, blah.' And then almost every year we were in the playoff. There's going to be, when you're winning the positive noise, when you lose, everybody's going to be, 'Oh my gosh, the playoffs are shot.' You never know how these things are going to play out. Every year's different, there's a lot of things happening in a lot of conferences.

"So I think the message for us and from us is we got to control what we can. And the reality is if you take care of business on Saturdays and keep winning, all that stuff takes care of itself."

So far, so good, and there have been some prove-it moments already for the Trojans. The late comeback and having to truly rely on the defense for the first time in the tense 17-14 win at Oregon State. Delivering a thoroughly impressive 30-14 win over a one-loss Washington State team despite playing without two of its best defensive players.

But neither of those is quite like taking on an almost desperate Utah team on the road in Rice-Eccles Stadium. After a humbling 42-32 loss to UCLA on the road last week, the Utes know they can't sustain another defeat if they want to maintain hopes for a Pac-12 championship repeat.

Saturday is their season ... in their stadium and in front of their fans.

For USC, it's the second true challenging road test and, most would agree, a notch up from the one the Trojans narrowly escaped in Corvallis, Ore., last month.

This one should provide even more clarity to the question Riley artfully dodged on Thursday, as to whether this is truly a CFP-caliber team or not.

"We've done some good things. We have the potential to be a really good team. We haven't met our potential as a team yet. We're going to have bigger and better challenges as we go on, certainly starting with this week," Riley said. "Teams that make the playoff have an ability to stay focused and truly just do their best every week, find ways to win games and just keep progressing. And that's the recipe for it, that's how it happens."

With that, let's get into the weekly TrojanSports.com staff roundtable discussion/debate as we tackle the top storylines of the week and give our predictions for Saturday ...

What's the biggest reason the USC Trojans should be confident heading into this game and the biggest reason for concern?

Ryan Young: "The Trojans should feel confident every week at this point. This is a damn good team that, like Riley said, maybe hasn't reached its full potential yet. I'm mostly a believer in the defense after six largely impressive weeks, and I'll agree with the assessment that QB Caleb Williams offered earlier this week that he can play better than he has. That's not a criticism of Williams -- it's an acknowledgement that his true potential is so elite that if he can sustain it more often over the rest of the season then we haven't even seen the best of what this offense can be. Also, while I respect Utah's annual consistency and reputation, there's reason to think this isn't the same peak version of the Utes. They gave up 502 yards to UCLA last week in a game that might have been more exposing than exception. They don't have a dominant pass rush with just 11 sacks on the season (tied for 75th nationally), and they have already lost two of their three toughest games (a 42-16 win over Oregon State serving as the one true highlight so far for Utah, which also lost its opener at Florida). The Utes may be 3.5-point favorites Saturday, but I think there's every reason to think USC is the better team.

"Why should the Trojans maybe be concerned? There's a chance the defense is playing above its heads of late, and that a truly physical rushing attack (coupled with a very mobile dual-threat QB) could be the worst possible matchup for it. Utah is averaging 201.5 rushing yards per game, and the Trojans -- even in comfortable wins -- have still shown the vulnerability to be gashed on the ground at times. So that's the main worry."

Tajwar Khandaker: "I’d say the Trojans’ best point of confidence going into Saturday will be the fact that UCLA laid out the blueprint for how to beat this Utes team last week. On paper, USC should be equipped to follow through on that gameplan. The Utah defense struggled to handle the Bruins’ run-heavy offense, finding itself overwhelmed by the task of containing both DTR and Zach Charbonnet. That set up UCLA to take its shots when necessary through the air, maintaining good decision-making and efficiency to avoid critical turnovers. On the other side of the ball, an active pass rush made things difficult for a Utah offense that hasn’t faced many of those through the year. The Trojans have a highly effective dual-threat quarterback, an excellent lead back with sound blocking in front of him and the nation’s sack-leaders on defense. USC should have every opportunity to draw from what worked for the Bruins last week, and it should put them in good position to take advantage of Utah’s weaknesses."

Jeff McCulloch: "The biggest reason USC should be confident heading into this game is how Utah has performed against mobile quarterbacks. The two losses Utah has are against Florida, which has the athletic Anthony Richardson at QB, and UCLA, who we all know has Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Caleb Williams is better than both of those quarterbacks. Not only is Williams mobile and athletic, but he also has a laser for an arm and he can fit that ball anywhere against any defense. The biggest reason for concern against Utah is going to Salt Lake City and playing against a raucous crowd that wants to see this USC team beat so badly. Rice-Eccles Stadium is known for being a place where dreams go to die. Not only is the crowd loud and engaging, but they also haven’t lost at home since USC beat them during the 2020 COVID-shortened season."

If USC gets through this challenge, how do you rank the toughest remaining games on the schedule?

Tajwar: "I see UCLA as the Trojans' toughest game of the year right now, probably more so than Utah. The Bruins handily dismantled the Utes last week and show every indication of being a legitimate threat for playoff contention. Notre Dame would be next up, despite the team’s disappointing record in Marcus Freeman’s first year. That defense is still a legitimate force that the Trojans will have to reckon with. Cal and Arizona are the next two up, and I have a difficult time choosing between them. Both have offenses showing great potential, headlined by a number of exciting young playmakers. Last of all and certainly least is Colorado, which might still be a bottom-five team in all of college football."