USC Trojans are No. 4 in Newest CFP Rankings
For the first time since the College Football Playoff was instituted ahead of the 2014 season, the USC Trojans are a top-four team in the CFP rankings. USC is the No. 4 team in the rankings this week, up two spots from its perch at No. 6 last week.
It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a program one year removed from a 4-8 record.
Head coach Lincoln Riley has done a phenomenal job in just one year of injecting talent into the roster, accountability into the culture and belief into the fan base. Now the Trojans are back among the nation’s elite programs. And USC looks very much like they are one win away from a spot in the playoff.
There won’t be any celebrations about the No. 4 ranking inside the John McKay Center. Riley dismissed the first rankings as unimportant and he would likely say the same thing about these. USC was No. 9 in the first CFP rankings this year. Riley said the teams that continue to find ways down the stretch are the teams that find themselves in the final rankings. And that one is the only one that matters.
So, there is still the very big matter of winning the Pac-12 Championship Game this Friday night against Utah.
USC has wins against No. 15 Oregon State, No. 17 UCLA and No. 21 Notre Dame.
Utah is in at No. 11 in these rankings. The Utes gave USC its only loss this season, coming by one point in Salt Lake City. The Trojans will have an opportunity Friday to post another win over a ranked opponent.
The Pac-12 has six teams ranked for the third week in a row. Last week marked the first time the Pac-12 had six teams ranked in two-straight weeks since 2016.
All Eyes on Friday Night
The matchup between USC and Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game might be the most-watched conference game of the season simply because of the stakes. But it might also be the most-watched game of the season featuring any teams in a few cities, including Columbus, Ohio. There was some national discussion this week about perhaps the top four teams in this ranking shouldn’t be able to drop in the final ranking based on a loss in their respective conference championship games.
No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 Penn State are off this weekend, as none made their conference championship game. So the question was posed, if those teams can’t play their way in with an extra game, why should any of the top four be able to play their way out?
Of course, no national discussion means anything to the committee, and there is absolutely no reason to believe USC won’t get dropped from No. 4 and replaced by one-loss Ohio State if the Trojans lose. But with the teams behind them idle, this sure looks like a win-and-they’re-in scenario for USC this weekend.
CFP Rankings
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. USC
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Clemson
10. Kansas State
11. Utah
12. Washington
13. Florida State
14. LSU
15. Oregon State
16. Oregon
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. South Carolina
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. UCF
23. North Carolina
24. Mississippi State
25. North Carolina State
