As they head into an important stretch of games, the USC Trojans have returned to their disappointing ways. In Week 8, the Trojans showed that little has changed in the program, and while Lincoln Riley remains head coach, little will change in the future as long as he is around.

Here is what we learned about the USC Trojans in Week 8:

Physicality remains a huge concern with this team

The Trojans got dominated in every facet of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers imposed their will for 4 quarters. Defensively, the Badgers held the Trojans to -17 yards on the ground. While the Badgers ran for 142 yards. Having the #1 recruiting class and a ton of talent does not matter when that is the end result. The theme surrounding the Trojans being a team that can get dominated by more physical teams has been present for years now under Lincoln Riley. This is a notion that poorly reflects the current identity of this team. Something has to change.

The road woes are back and unsolved

With the win against the Penn State Nittany Lions, I thought the road struggles were a thing of the past. With USC getting played off the field in Week 8, the road woes are a big part of this team's makeup. USC did not show up ready to play at Camp Randall Stadium, and that was evident from the start of the game.

Taniela Tupou is a potential legitimate weapon

The one good thing about USC's loss is that it gave a great opportunity to evaluate some young talent. Tupou showed he is more than capable of performing in a big game. He was the standout, and following this game, he needs more opportunity. He can become the next key contributing freshman for USC.

The loss to Wisconsin will define the season

With the upcoming schedule, the Trojans have it clear as day that they could not afford to lose last week's game against the Badgers. Prior to the week, there was a path for the Trojans to finish at the top of the Big Ten; now there is a much more likely path for them to have a disappointing 7-5 finish to the season. There is also a path for Lincoln Riley to be coaching another team next season. When it is time to look back on the season, this will be the game that is the headline and the game that put all excitement for this team to a halt.

USC still cannot hang in the Big Ten

Every season since the Trojans joined the Big Ten, there is a game or maybe 2 in which the Trojans look worse than their Big Ten opponent. Last season it was a loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini. This season it was Saturday's loss to Wisconsin. In a high-stakes Big Ten game, the trend is that the Trojans will leave that game not looking like a Big Ten team. Getting embarrassed by an inconsistent Wisconsin Badgers team on the road is unacceptable. Lincoln Riley has not proved he can beat Big Ten teams on a consistent basis just yet.