USC escaped Rutgers with its ranking intact, but the Trojans still have plenty to prove before the AP Top 25 settles down.
The No. 12 Trojans needed Jayden Maiava and the offense to steady things in a 42-35 road win over the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
It was a survival job more than a clean performance, but it still left USC at 4-0 heading into a huge home game against No. 21 Oregon to open Big Ten play.
That result landed in a wild weekend across the country. No.
7 LSU fell to No. 8 Ole Miss, and No.
9 Texas A&M was upset by unranked Kentucky, creating room near the top of the poll. No.
13 Texas Tech had to grind past No. 22 Houston, No. 16 lost to No.
23 Louisville, No. 10 Alabama was pushed at home by Florida State before taking control in the second half, No.
24 Oklahoma almost slipped against New Mexico at home, and West Virginia knocked off No. 25 Virginia.
That kind of chaos makes Sunday’s AP release a moving target. Ole Miss should get a lift from its win, while LSU and Texas A&M are both headed for a drop. USC’s case is the more interesting one: does a shaky road win keep the Trojans in the top 12, or does the combination of losses elsewhere open the door to the top 10?
One prediction has USC jumping to No. 10, with Texas, Georgia and Ohio State holding the first three spots and Notre Dame and Ole Miss also moving ahead in the shuffle. In that projection, Indiana lands at No.
6, Miami at No. 7, Alabama at No. 8 and BYU at No.
- LSU slides to No.
11, Texas Tech to No. 12, and Penn State sits at No. 13.
Another version of the poll keeps the Trojans at No. 12, with Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama filling the top 10 ahead of them. That board also shows BYU at No. 11, Texas Tech at No. 13 and SMU, Utah, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Houston, Louisville, Oklahoma and Virginia rounding out the final spots.
However the voters sort it out, week 4 is lined up to shake the rankings again. USC’s matchup with Oregon is the headline game in the Big Ten, and it comes with real questions attached.
Rutgers finished 6/11 on third down, 3/4 on fourth down and piled up 460 total yards against the Trojans’ defense. Oregon already has a loss to unranked Oklahoma State and is dealing with questions on both sides of the ball after losing both coordinators.
The Trojans will need their defense to make life difficult for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, while also finding a way to run the ball and protect Maiava.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Texas A&M and LSU are set to meet in a game that looks a lot different now than it did before Saturday. Both teams are trying to avoid piling on a second loss, and both know what another setback would mean for their postseason hopes.
The week’s other ranked conference games include No. 2 Georgia against Oklahoma and No.
1 Texas against No. 15 Tennessee.
Another key one lands in the Big Ten, where No. 18 Iowa visits No.
19 Michigan as the Wolverines try to stay unbeaten and keep climbing.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans May Need To Rethink Pregame Plans For UTEP
Michigan fans heading into the UTEP game may need a little more flexibility in their usual Saturday routine. Michigan Athletics and public safety officials are keeping an eye on weather conditions that could affect the schedule, including possible delays to gate openings and parking access, with the university directing fans to rely on official athletics channels for the latest updates.
For a No. 19 Michigan team that is 2-0, the on-field focus remains the same, but the pregame experience may look different depending on how the weather develops. If gates do not open on time, fans are being told to stay in safe locations and wait for further guidance, a reminder that the logistics around kickoff can shift quickly even when the game itself is still on track. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Still Has One Big Concern After Another Blowout Win
Michigan kept rolling in a 52-17 win over UTEP to move to 3-0, and the final score reflected how thoroughly the Wolverines took control after shaking off a sluggish start. Early turnovers could have made things interesting, but the offense settled in and the second half turned into another convincing display, with quarterback Bryce Underwood throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns in just three quarters.
Andrew Marsh was a bright spot again, finishing with 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, giving Michigan another reliable target as the passing game found a rhythm. The defense also settled in after a few early mistakes, but even in a blowout like this, the game did not fully erase the concern that has lingered around the Wolverines through the opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Finally Found Some Offense But A Bigger Worry Is Growing
Michigan finally got the kind of offensive afternoon it had been waiting for, rolling past UTEP 52-17 as Bryce Underwood looked more comfortable as a passer and the unit found more rhythm than it had shown earlier in the season. There was even a milestone for the freshman group, with Tommy Carr tossing his first career touchdown pass, a small but useful sign that Michigan was getting production from more than one spot on the field.
Still, the more immediate concern out of the win may be on the other side of the ledger, where the injury list keeps getting harder to ignore. Right tackle Andrew Sprague, running back Jordan Marshall and cornerback Zeke Berry all missed time or were limited, and for a team trying to build momentum, those absences could matter as much as any box score improvement. Michigan got the offense it needed Saturday, but the health of a few key players is becoming a bigger storyline by the week. [Read more 🡒]