USC football has played like a top-10 team so far this season, but the poll voters don’t quite see the Trojans as a top-tier team in college football. USC remained outside the top 10 in the latest edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports. The latest USA TODAY report on the poll, from Eddie Timanus, noted that “Georgia retains the No. 1 spot, but the Bulldogs’ grip is more tenuous after grinding out a one-point win at Kentucky. UGa received 42 of 55 first-place votes cast this week, more than enough for them to keep the lead but down a few from a week ago. Most of the top votes that changed hands went to Texas, which edged ahead of idle Ohio State for the No. 2 position. The Longhorns picked up 10 No. 1 nods, while the Buckeyes retained the remaining three. The next three slots remain unchanged as No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Mississippi and No. 6 Oregon hold steady.”
It is noteworthy that Oregon remained in place. With USC dropping one spot, Oregon extended its lead over USC in the polls, even though USC has been a better team so far this season. True, Oregon did play really well against Oregon State and looked the part of a top team for the first time this season, but USC has showed out well twice, not merely once. It’s still jarring that USC is ranked anywhere below Oregon in the rankings, strictly viewed through the basis of merit. We will see what happens this coming week, as USC goes to Michigan to play the Wolverines. You can see where Michigan ended up in the poll before it faces the Trojans on Sept. 21. Here is the poll order below:
2. Texas Longhorns
Ole Miss handled Wake Forest and is at No. 5.
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Tennessee Volunteers
8. Tie — Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Tie — Missouri Tigers
Missouri won a close game against Boston College and did not drop in the poll.
10. Utah Utes
Utah beat Utah State without injured quarterback Cam Rising.
11. Miami Hurricanes
Miami moved ahead of USC despite playing an FCS team in a cupcake game.
12. USC Trojans
This is where the Trojans are, six spots behind Oregon, heading into Week 4 and the game at Michigan.
14. Kansas State Wildcats
The Wildcats looked good in a win over Arizona.
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Mike Gundy’s team drilled Tulsa.
16. LSU Tigers
LSU did not play well against South Carolina, but it won and maintained a top-16 position.
17. Michigan Wolverines
19. Clemson Tigers
Louisville rounds out the top 20.
Iowa State is in the top 21 on the basis of its win at Iowa.
23. Memphis Tigers
Yesterday we talked UNLV, today it’s all about Memphis – who is 3-0 on the gridiron after a win over Florida State on Saturday.
Why they are an easy fit in the Pac-12:https://t.co/8qF43ME4PU
— Andy Patton (@AndyPattonCBB) September 15, 2024
24. Texas A&M Aggies
25. UNLV Rebels
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC falls one spot, remains outside top 10 in US LBM Coaches Poll
