A wild opening weekend has already put the AP Top 25 in motion, and USC looks poised to benefit from the chaos.
The Trojans came through their non-conference slate untouched, and that alone gives them a chance to climb when the new poll comes out. With No.
6 Oregon losing to unranked Oklahoma State and No. 10 Oklahoma falling to Michigan, USC sits in position to move up from No. 14 even without making a huge jump.
In the projected AP Top 25, USC lands at No. 12.
That would be a modest rise, but one that reflects the damage done by teams ahead of them. Oregon, after the shock loss, is forecast to tumble well outside the top 15.
Oklahoma is also expected to slide, with Michigan potentially reentering the rankings after its controversial narrow win over Western Michigan and then beating the Sooners.
The biggest headline from the weekend came in Columbus, where No. 1 Ohio State lost to No.
4 Texas in a game decided by the Longhorns’ comeback. Texas has a real case for the top spot after taking down the Buckeyes, while Ohio State is expected to stay near the top rather than crater.
In one projected version of the poll, the Buckeyes remain No. 1, with Georgia at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 3, followed by Texas, Indiana, Oregon, Miami, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
That’s the kind of shuffle USC is watching closely. The Trojans are not expected to rocket up the board after beating the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, but the path ahead is opening. If Lincoln Riley’s team keeps handling business, the top 10 is within reach sooner rather than later.
The Ducks’ loss matters for USC beyond the rankings page, too. It helps the Trojans in the Big Ten picture and in the College Football Playoff conversation, even if that talk is still early. The next major checkpoint comes on Sept. 26, when Oregon visits the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
There are still a few other wrinkles to watch in the updated poll. Washington, ranked No. 19 in one projection, could slide after struggling against Utah State.
Houston appears in one projected top 25, while Virginia shows up in another. The question of who drops out if Michigan and Oklahoma are added back in remains part of the Week 2 puzzle.
For USC, though, the big picture is simple: survive early, let the teams above you trip over each other, and keep climbing.
In Other News...
Michigan Defense Just Got Telling Praise After Oklahoma Win
John Mateer had little trouble identifying where Saturday went sideways for Oklahoma after Michigan left town with a 17-10 win. The Sooners quarterback said his own accuracy and missed throws were part of the problem, and the numbers backed up the frustration: he finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Oklahomas offense never quite found a rhythm against the Wolverines.
From Michigans side, that kind of self-assessment from the opposing quarterback is the sort of quiet validation a defense notices. Oklahoma managed just 289 total yards and converted only three of 13 third downs, and Mateer ended up leading the Sooners in rushing yards as well, a sign of how often Michigan kept the bigger answers off the table. For a Wolverines defense trying to build on a game that turned on one late touchdown, praise from the quarterback on the other sideline only sharpens the edge of what it did well. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Controlled Oklahoma With One Weapon Fans Rarely Celebrate
Special teams usually only get noticed when something goes wrong, but Michigan has leaned on that phase in a way that has quietly shaped its early season. Kyle Whittingham made a point of stressing the punt unit in preseason, and the Wolverines have turned that into real field-position value through the first two games, with Cam Brown consistently driving opponents deep and making every exchange on the field feel a little longer for the other sideline.
Michigans coverage work has helped the punt game land even harder. Defensive players such as Zeke Berry have chipped in to keep return yards down, turning hidden-yardage moments into part of the broader defensive edge. It is not the flashiest reason the Wolverines have been able to control games, but it is the kind of detail that tends to matter most once the schedule tightens and one or two possessions start deciding everything. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made Another Push For A Five-Star Local Receiver
Dakota Guerrants visit to Michigans game against Oklahoma gave the Wolverines another chance to keep the five-star receiver close to home, even after his June commitment to Oregon. The Michigan native has strong local ties, and the Wolverines continue to press for a reopening in a recruitment that still carries plenty of intrigue because of who he is and where he grew up.
Oregon has its own selling point in this race, with recent success developing NFL-caliber wide receivers helping make the Ducks a tough pull to beat. Michigan, though, is still working to persuade Guerrant to reconsider, and his presence in Ann Arbor suggested this one is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]