USC’s Unexpected Surge: What’s Behind Their Rapid Climb to No. 18?

Friday night brought another shining moment for USC football as they claimed a solid victory over Northwestern, cruising to a 38-17 win that rippled through the college football landscape. This triumph wasn’t just another notch on the belt; it propelled the Trojans up three spots to No. 18 in the latest USA Today US LBM Coaches Poll— a shake-up that left several teams, including Virginia, Louisville, and Missouri, trailing behind after their own setbacks. Yet, despite this leap, USC finds itself dangling just beneath Michigan in the rankings—an intriguing spot given their direct win over the Wolverines and positioning ahead in some polls. Turn your eyes to the horizon, and there’s a big game looming against Iowa, a team that recently slipped out of the top 25 following a tough loss to Oregon, which dims the spotlight on next week’s showdown. But here’s the kicker: come Tuesday, the College Football Playoff rankings drop, and that’s the real scorecard that matters now—where the Trojans must impress if they’re eyeing postseason glory.
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On Friday, USC football earned another Big Ten victory, taking down Northwestern 38-17. Following the week’s college football action, the Trojans moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest USA Today US LBM Coaches Poll.

USC jumped ahead of Virginia, Louisville, and, Missouri, all of whom lost on Saturday. However, the Trojans remained one spot behind Michigan, despite being ahead of the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff rankings and holding a head-to-head victory over Michigan.

USC’s next opponent, Iowa, entered the weekend ranked No. 24 in the USA Today US LBM Coaches Poll. However, the Hawkeyes dropped out of the top 25 following their loss to Oregon Saturday, meaning that next week’s game will not be a ranked matchup.

The next playoff rankings come out on Tuesday. Now that we have entered the month of November, those are the only rankings that truly matter. While other polls are still an interesting way to see how teams stack up, the playoff selection committee is the only group that the Trojans need to worry about impressing going forward.