On Tuesday evening, the latest College Football Playoff rankings were released. Last week, USC was ranked No. 15 by the CFP committee. Following Saturday’s 42-27 loss to Oregon, the Trojans dropped two spots, and now sit at No. 17.
The only two teams to jump ahead of USC in the rankings from last week were No. 15 Michigan and No. 16 Texas. The Trojans defeated the Wolverines at the Coliseum last month, but Michigan is currently 9-2, whereas USC is 8-3. Sherrone Moore’s team has its biggest game of the year on Saturday when it hosts No. 1 Ohio State in a rivalry battle.
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The fact that USC did not fall all that much in the rankings despite losing by two touchdowns seems to be a testament to Oregon. It is clear that the committee thinks the Ducks are a really good team—as evidenced by the fact that they are ranked No. 6—and they are not going to punish the Trojans for dropping a tough game to an elite opponent on the road.
Unfortunately for USC fans, right now, the Trojans being ranked in the top 20 actually helps two of their biggest rivals. In addition to Oregon, USC also has a road loss to No. 9 Notre Dame. For both the Ducks and the Irish, the Trojans are the only win over a currently ranked team on their resume.
Obviously, USC should not have intentionally lost games just to screw over Notre Dame and Oregon. But right now, the Trojans are in the unfortunate position of not being good enough to make the playoff themselves, but just good enough to help the resumes of their rivals.
Speaking of rivalry games, USC will close out the regular season on Saturday evening at the Coliseum against crosstown foe UCLA. In absolutely shocking news, the 3-8 Bruins did not make the top 25.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football ranked No. 15 in playoff rankings
