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| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (55) | 6-0 | 1,495 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (5) | 6-0 | 1,438 | 2 |
| 3 | Clemson | 6-0 | 1,352 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 6-0 | 1,330 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida State | 5-0 | 1,242 | 6 |
| 6 | LSU | 6-1 | 1,137 | 10 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 5-1 | 1,105 | 9 |
| 8 | Louisville | 6-0 | 1,077 | 8 |
| 9 | UCLA | 5-0 | 1,017 | 11 |
| 10 | Miami (FL) | 5-0 | 912 | 13 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 5-1 | 896 | 14 |
| 12 | Baylor | 5-0 | 849 | 15 |
| 13 | Stanford | 5-1 | 824 | 5 |
| 14 | Missouri | 6-0 | 749 | 25 |
| 15 | Georgia | 4-2 | 615 | 7 |
| 16 | Texas Tech | 6-0 | 590 | 20 |
| 17 | Fresno State | 5-0 | 383 | 21 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 5-1 | 380 | 12 |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 6-1 | 352 | 24 |
| 20 | Washington | 4-2 | 309 | 16 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 4-1 | 264 | 22 |
| 22 | Florida | 4-2 | 249 | 17 |
| 23 | Northern Illinois | 6-0 | 185 | 23 |
| 24 | Auburn | 5-1 | 156 | NR |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 4-2 | 153 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: Michigan 118, Nebraska 94, Michigan State 69, Utah 47, Notre Dame 39, Oregon State 21, UCF 19, Texas 16, Northwestern 7, Arizona State 7, Houston 3, Rutgers 1 |
Notre Dame and USC have traditionally been counted among the elite programs in college football, with each school having won 11 national championships and seven Heisman Trophies. Both the Trojans and Fighting Irish enter Saturday's tilt with two losses, each looking to propel their stock back into the Top 25 ranks.
This football rivalry, which began in 1926, is considered one of the most important in college football, and is often called the greatest inter-sectional rivalry in college football. Last season, then top-ranked Notre Dame came on the road to Los Angeles defeating the Max Wittek-led Trojans 22-13 in USC's last game of the regular season.
USC, which has won 9 of their past 11 against Notre Dame, will also embrace in their first road trip with interim head coach Ed Orgeron controlling the program. The UCLA Bruins and Stanford Cardinals will square in a top-13 tilt next Saturday in Palo Alto, which looks to be the most intriguing conference game on the Pac-12 Saturday slate.