USC Rises in Newest College Football Playoff Rankings

USC is still firmly in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Trojans are the No. 8 team in the CFP rankings this week, up just one spot from where they landed in last week’s initial rankings.

USC landed at No. 7 in the Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the AP poll this week. But going forward, the CFP rankings are the only ones that matter when it comes to the national championship race.

This matches the highest the USC Trojans have ever been ranked in a CFP poll. USC was ranked No. 8 in the Dec. 3, 2017 Selection Day rankings.

It was an interesting week in the rankings as three top-10 programs lost this past Saturday. Former No. 1 Tennessee lost on the road at No. 3 Georgia. No. 6 Alabama lost on the road at No. 10 LSU. And No. 4 Clemson lost on the road at Notre Dame.

The intrigue this week revolved around how far Tennessee would fall and how high LSU would rise. As it turns out, LSU’s win against Alabama was enough to vault them over USC, which has struggled to put away Arizona and Cal the past two weeks.

The Pac-12 continues to be well-represented in the CFP rankings. Oregon remains the top-ranked team in the conference at No. 6 and is coming off a decisive win at Colorado. The Ducks will host the No. 25 Washington Huskies this weekend.

USC is the No. 2 Pac-12 team at No. 8 and UCLA is behind them at No. 12, just one spot ahead of Utah at No. 13. The Trojans and Bruins will find separation on Nov. 19, when UCLA hosts USC at the Rose Bowl. And USC could also have a chance to beat a ranked Notre Dame team the week after that. The Fighting Irish are No. 20 this week.

The path to the playoff is still a murky one for the Pac-12 at this point. The conference champion is guaranteed to have at least one loss. It most assuredly would not jump an undefeated Big Ten, Big XII or SEC champion. It could then come down to a beauty contest between the Pac-12 champion and one-loss non-conference champions in Michigan, Ohio State or Tennessee. Putting Tennessee at No. 5, ahead of Oregon, is seemingly a statement from the committee. The Volunteers to not have a likely loss on their schedule coming up, so the Pac-12 champion might need to jump Tennessee at some point if TCU wins out.

Of the 32 selections for the College Football Playoff, just two have come from the Pac-12, and none since the 2016 season. The strength at the top of the Pac-12 conference this year might work in its favor, and a one-loss Pac-12 champion has never been left out of the playoff.

Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU are the top four teams in the CFP rankings this week. Tennessee, Oregon and LSU are the teams immediately in front of USC.

USC’s Finishing Opportunity

The Trojans have an opportunity to make a huge statement over the coming weeks. A win against Colorado on Friday night won’t mean anything. But after that, USC will take on a top-15 and maybe top-10 UCLA team. The Trojans could then get a ranked Notre Dame team at home and finish the season against a No. 6 Oregon team. Three wins there would be an awfully impressive way to end the season and should go a long way in the eyes of the committee.