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The Trojans sit just outside the Top 25 rankings in the final week of the regular season and have their sights set on playing inspired football under interim coach Clay Helton in the bowl game, hoping to climb into the final AP Rankings to end the season after starting 24th overall in the Preseason polls.
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State (56) | 13-0 | 1,496 | 1 |
| 2 | Auburn (4) | 12-1 | 1,444 | 3 |
| 3 | Alabama | 11-1 | 1,376 | 4 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 12-1 | 1,278 | 10 |
| 5 | Stanford | 11-2 | 1,217 | 7 |
| 6 | Baylor | 11-1 | 1,185 | 9 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 12-1 | 1,130 | 2 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 10-2 | 1,099 | 8 |
| 9 | Missouri | 11-2 | 1,066 | 5 |
| 10 | Oregon | 10-2 | 880 | 12 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 878 | 18 |
| 12 | Clemson | 10-2 | 848 | 13 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | 10-2 | 797 | 6 |
| 14 | LSU | 9-3 | 726 | 14 |
| 15 | UCF | 11-1 | 629 | 15 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 10-3 | 614 | 11 |
| 17 | UCLA | 9-3 | 544 | 17 |
| 18 | Louisville | 11-1 | 525 | 19 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 9-3 | 383 | 21 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 282 | 22 |
| 21 | Fresno State | 11-1 | 227 | 24 |
| 22 | Duke | 10-3 | 201 | 20 |
| 23 | Georgia | 8-4 | 196 | 25 |
| 24 | Northern Illinois | 12-1 | 144 | 16 |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 8-4 | 76 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: USC 74, Iowa 48, Miami (FL) 47, Vanderbilt 25, Texas 22, Cincinnati 11, Bowling Green 10, Washington 9, Rice 7, North Dakota State 4, Minnesota 2 |
Finally some food for thought as the official Bowl Game schedule will be released tonight...
Fresno State likely to play USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Maybe Fresno State grad Lane Kiffin can toss the coin.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 8, 2013