USC didn’t play in week 10, but the Trojans still have a real shot to climb when the AP Top 25 comes out Sunday.
That’s the kind of weekend it was across college football. Ranked teams kept falling, and the chaos opened the door for movement all over the poll.
USC entered the first College Football Playoff rankings at No. 20 even though it sat higher in the AP Top 25, and now the Trojans should benefit from the shakeup after a bye ahead of their ranked matchup with No. 6 Indiana.
The biggest hit to the top of the rankings came when No. 1 Miami lost to No.
4 Notre Dame on the road. The SEC also took several swings, with then-No.
8 Kentucky getting rolled by then-No. 16 Tennessee, 34-6, No.
2 Georgia beating No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-7, and No.
9 Alabama handling No. 15 LSU, 31-13.
There was more turbulence elsewhere, too. After USC beat Ohio State at home, the unranked Oregon Ducks went into Columbus and knocked off the Buckeyes, 41-28, giving Ryan Day’s team a third loss. With Ohio State and Ole Miss both taking heavy damage, the AP voters will have plenty to sort through.
The Big Ten picture is crowded as well. Oregon, No.
12 Ohio State, No. 21 Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, and Illinois are all sitting with two conference losses.
At the top, No. 5 UCLA is alone in first place in the conference, and the Bruins are one of two unbeaten teams left in the FBS.
No. 3 Utah is the other after its win over No.
7 BYU.
The new CFP rankings could also influence how the AP board looks at a few teams. Alabama is the clearest example, since the Crimson Tide opened at No. 5 in the CFP rankings while sitting No. 9 in the AP poll. Tennessee also got a better CFP spot than it had in the previous AP ranking, which could help the Volunteers rise after the Kentucky win.
Oregon, meanwhile, appears ready to crash into the AP Top 25 after showing up in the CFP rankings while still unranked in the AP poll. Texas should move up a bit as well after its win over No. 19 Missouri.
A projected AP Top 25 from the source had Georgia at No. 1, followed by Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, Alabama, Miami, Texas, Tennessee, Texas Tech, BYU, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Houston, USC, Iowa, Ole Miss, Boise State, South Carolina, Oregon, Ohio State, New Mexico, Missouri, LSU, and Arizona.
Another projection had Miami back at No. 1, with Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, BYU, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, LSU, Tennessee, Houston, USC, Missouri, Boise State, Iowa, New Mexico, South Carolina, Arizona, and Florida rounding out the list.
For USC, the expectation is simpler: a modest rise, not a massive leap. The Trojans should move up a little after the weekend’s carnage, even if they don’t end up among the biggest winners.
In Other News...
Ohio States Oregon Collapse Exposed A Problem Buckeyes Fans Feared
Ohio States loss to Oregon in Columbus had the feel of a game that started with promise and then slipped away in plain sight. The Buckeyes came out strong, but the rest of the afternoon turned into a reminder that early momentum only matters if it can be sustained, and this one quickly exposed some of the same concerns fans have been carrying for a while. Jeremiah Smith was not used nearly enough, and the offense never seemed to fully settle into a rhythm as the game changed around it.
Luke Faheys performance only added to the unease, while the defense looked far removed from the unit Ohio State expected to lean on in a matchup like this. The bigger frustration, though, was the lack of clear adjustment as Oregon kept finding answers and the Buckeyes did not. For a team with playoff ambitions, a home collapse like this does more than count as one bad result - it raises the kind of questions that can linger well beyond a single Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smiths Frustration Just Raised A Bigger Ohio State Concern
Jeremiah Smiths frustration was hard to miss in Ohio States loss to Oregon, a defeat that left the Buckeyes staring at a tougher path to the playoff. Even in a game that slipped away 41-28, Smith still produced, finishing with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, which only underscored how much Ohio State leaned on him when the offense needed a spark.
The bigger concern now is what his visible irritation might say about the state of the Buckeyes season and how they handle the fallout from a damaging setback. One analyst even raised the possibility that Smith might not play again this year, though that remains unconfirmed, and for a team trying to steady itself after the Oregon loss, any uncertainty around its top playmaker only adds to the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Just Added Fuel To Indianas CFP Debate
Urban Meyer gave the College Football Playoff debate a fresh jolt by questioning how the committee is sorting Ohio State and Indiana. The former Buckeyes coach pointed to the Buckeyes head-to-head win over Indiana and said he did not understand why No. 12 Ohio State sits eight spots behind No. 4 Indiana, especially when the discussion turns to how teams are being judged beyond the loss column.
Meyer also took aim at the committees handling of nonconference scheduling, arguing that Ohio States ranking does not match what it has shown on the field. Indianas case is strong in its own right at 8-1, with wins over Michigan and Nebraska, but Meyer noted the Hoosiers have not beaten a ranked opponent, leaving the playoff conversation with a familiar tension: rsum versus result, and a gap in the rankings that still needs explaining. [Read more 🡒]