CFP chairman says USC's defense holding Trojans back in College Football Playoff rankings

The latest College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday night and one ranking in particular caught the eye of many around the sport. Two-loss LSU checked in at No. 5, while one-loss USC checked in at No. 6, with the selection committee apparently needing to see more from USC’s defense still.

That was a point CFP rankings chair Boo Corrigan stressed a couple times, both on the air on ESPN after the reveal and on a conference call with reporters afterward.

“The SC defense is projecting into what it is, but again, when you look at that (UCLA) game — and what a great game it was, right? 48-45,” Corrigan said. “I think we’re looking for a stronger showing by the defense, as a committee, a more dominant win in those situations to continue to move forward.”

As things stand, USC’s defense has made a living on coming up with takeaways this season.

The Trojans lead the country in turnover margin right now.

But what happens if the takeaways disappear against more quality teams down the stretch? That’s a legitimate concern — though not one USC is incapable of easing with some strong outings — given that USC ranks tied for 68th nationally in scoring defense and is 96th in total defense so far this season.

Corrigan further expanded on the reasoning for the separation between LSU and USC in this week’s rankings, pointing out the committee believed the Tigers have the stronger resume at the moment courtesy of better wins.

USC’s defense holding Trojans back in CFP rankings

Speaking on a conference call following the rankings reveal, Corrigan said the primary driver behind the separation between LSU and USC was USC’s defense.

Though by the sound of things, it was something the committee hemmed and hawed on quite a bit.

“It came up over and over again to make sure,” Corrigan said. “And there’s reasons for both teams. The committee, at the end of the day, saw the wins over Alabama and Mississippi stronger than the wins over UCLA and Oregon State. The one question we had was … the defense of USC.”

USC will host No. 15 Notre Dame this weekend, then take on Oregon, Utah or Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

All eyes will be on that defense.