clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

USC Football Unable to Crack AP Poll Top 25

Trojans received votes, but couldn't slide in back of rankings.

Stanford routed the Bruins to end their championship hopes.
Stanford routed the Bruins to end their championship hopes.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

For the second straight week, the USC Trojans and crosstown rival UCLA Bruins seemed to be headed in opposite directions in the AP Top 25 Poll.

The Trojans obliterated Notre Dame, 49-14, scoring on five consecutive first half possessions en route to a 35-0 second quarter lead Saturday afternoon while the Bruins laid an absolute egg in the Rose Bowl against a Stanford squad that has struggled to be bowl eligible this season.

Instead of warming up and preparing for a rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game, UCLA will have to watch Arizona and think about what could have been. The loss also cost the Bruins in the AP Poll Top 25 as they dropped seven spots to No. 16.

USC isn't in the AP Poll Top 25, but is sitting just three points behind Nebrska for a top 25 position. There are once again four Pac-12 teams ranked with Oregon leading the way in third. The Ducks' Pac-12 Championship Game opponent, Arizona, sits at No. 8 and could make a claim for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff if the Wildcats can upset Oregon for the second time this season.

The Wildcats knocked off Arizona State in the Territorial Cup battle, knocking the Sun Devils down to No. 17, just behind UCLA. Here's the complete AP Poll Top 25 with the Coaches Poll and the latest updated Massey composite computer rankings:

AP Coaches Massey composite
1 Alabama Alabama Alabama
2 Florida State Florida State Oregon
3 Oregon Oregon TCU
4 TCU TCU Mississippi State
5 Baylor Baylor Baylor
6 Ohio State Ohio State Georgia
7 Michigan State Michigan State Ohio State
8 Arizona Arizona Ole Miss
9 Kansas State Kansas State Florida State
10 Mississippi State Mississippi State Auburn
11 Wisconsin Wisconsin Michigan State
12 Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Kansas State
13 Ole Miss Missouri UCLA
14 Missouri Ole Miss Wisconsin
15 Georgia Georgia Oklahoma
16 UCLA Oklahoma Missouri
17 Arizona State UCLA Georgia Tech
18 Oklahoma Arizona State Arizona
19 Clemson Clemson LSU
20 Auburn Louisville Arizona State
21 Louisville Auburn Arkansas
22 Boise State Boise State Clemson
23 LSU Nebraska Louisville
24 Utah LSU USC
25 Nebraska Minnesota Nebraska
For a Composite Top 25, visit SBNation.com