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...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A CFP Scheduling Problem Fans Will Debate
The latest reminder came from Stillwater, where Oklahoma States win over Oregon set off a celebration that included students carrying a goalpost into a campus pond. Beyond the scenes of jubilation, the result fed directly into a familiar college football argument: whether powerhouse programs should keep loading up on difficult non-conference games when every loss can carry real College Football Playoff consequences.
Ohio State followers know that debate well, because the Buckeyes have long valued the kind of early-season test that can sharpen a team and energize a schedule. But when coaches such as Brent Venables, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning talk about the risks and rewards of those matchups, they are really pointing to the same uncomfortable question fans keep circling. In a playoff era that can punish even a quality loss, the margin between a statement win and a season-long regret can be awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Faces Ohio State's Biggest Early Problem
A season-opening loss usually gets measured in the broad strokes, but this one left Ohio State with a much sharper lesson. After building a multi-score second-half lead against Texas, the Buckeyes let the game slip away and were left to answer for a finish that never matched the promise of the first three quarters. Ryan Day pointed to defensive issues and red zone struggles as part of the unraveling, a familiar kind of regret for a team with big expectations.
Day did not try to separate himself from the problem, saying the responsibility for the gameplan sits with him and that the Buckeyes have to improve in every phase moving forward. The early concern in Columbus is not just the loss itself, but how it happened, with Ohio State unable to close in the fourth quarter after appearing to have control. For a program built on standards, the margin for error already looks smaller than anyone wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces Early Questions After Stunning Poll Drop
The early tone of Ohio States season changed fast in Austin, where a big lead slipped away and turned into a damaging loss for the top-ranked Buckeyes. What looked like a statement win against Texas instead became an opening-week reality check, the kind that can reshape how a team is viewed before September really gets going.
The fallout showed up in the latest Coaches Poll, with Texas climbing and Ohio State sliding five spots as other programs around the country also shuffled up and down the rankings. For the Buckeyes, the larger concern is less about the number beside their name and more about how quickly a game can tilt when an opponent finds momentum, which is exactly what Texas did in the fourth quarter behind Arch Manning. [Read more 🡒]