Saturday’s chaos across college football has the AP Top 25 in for a serious shakeup, and USC may be one of the biggest beneficiaries without even taking the field.
The No. 19 Trojans had the week off while the sport around them unraveled.
No. 1 Georgia, No.
2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No.
6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas all lost, making it the most teams ranked that highly to fall on the same weekend since the AP Top 25 Poll was created.
For USC, that kind of Saturday can only help.
The early-season picture still leaves plenty of room for movement, though. Georgia and Indiana are both expected to stay near the top despite losing, and Indiana’s defeat to Ohio State was especially tight - the Hoosiers’ comeback came up one foot out of bounds. That kind of narrow loss could even leave Indiana in the same spot, or slightly higher.
Notre Dame’s loss to No. 8 BYU could be viewed through a different lens.
The Irish were hurt by a bad call at the end of the game, and an extra second should have remained on the clock. That would have given Notre Dame one more shot at the end zone and a chance to steal the win, so the AP voters may give the Fighting Irish some slack.
USC, meanwhile, has a lot to watch unfold in the rankings. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans sat idle, but they still came out of the weekend with a clearer sense of where things stand - and potentially a better path in the poll.
The current AP Top 25 lists Ohio State at No. 1, Miami at No.
2, Georgia at No. 3, Indiana at No.
4, Ole Miss at No. 5, BYU at No.
6, Tennessee at No. 7, Notre Dame at No.
8, Texas Tech at No. 9, Utah at No.
10, UCLA at No. 11, Alabama at No.
12, Texas at No. 13, Kentucky at No.
14, Iowa at No. 15, Houston at No.
16, USC at No. 17, LSU at No.
18, Wake Forest at No. 19, Missouri at No.
20, Boise State at No. 21, Oklahoma State at No.
22, SMU at No. 23, Northwestern at No. 24 and Florida at No.
USC’s position could shift, but the Trojans remain in the middle of a crowded race. They also may have learned something about the teams still ahead on the schedule, including Ohio State, Indiana and No. 12 UCLA - the three toughest tests left for Riley’s group.
Even with all the movement around them, the Trojans are still not viewed as a strong College Football Playoff bet. DraftKings Sportsbook has USC at +425 to reach the CFP, with programs like Oregon, Iowa, New Mexico, Kentucky and others sitting ahead of them in the odds.
That picture could change fast if USC can beat Ohio State or Indiana.
Another AP Top 25 listing placed Georgia at No. 1, Notre Dame at No.
2, Miami at No. 3, Ohio State at No.
4, Indiana at No. 5, Alabama at No.
6, Texas at No. 7, BYU at No.
8, Mississippi at No. 9, Texas Tech at No.
10, Utah at No. 11, UCLA at No.
12, Missouri at No. 13, Tennessee at No.
14, Kentucky at No. 15, Mississippi State at No.
16, Iowa at No. 17, Oklahoma State at No.
18, USC at No. 19, Houston at No.
20, Wake Forest at No. 21, LSU at No.
22, Boise State at No. 23, SMU at No. 24 and Northwestern at No.
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For Alabama, that means every possession could matter in a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. The Tide are headed into one of the SECs louder environments with a defense on the other side that looks built to make the game uncomfortable, and how Alabama handles that pressure may go a long way toward deciding whether the afternoon in Knoxville turns into a statement or a struggle. [Read more 🡒]