USC Football: Trojans Make First AP Top 25 Poll

Where did they land among the top 25 teams?

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

USC football has been named one of the top 25 teams in college football according to the first AP Top 25 poll ahead of the 2024 season. The Trojans come in at No. 23, the same spot they finished in at the end of last year.

The No. 1 ranked team in the poll is Georgia, who were the two-time College Football Playoff National Champions in 2021 and 2022. After Georgia, Ohio State ranks second, Oregon is third, Texas is fourth, and Alabama is fifth.

🚨The first AP Top 25 CFB Poll of the season is out 🚨

Do you agree with your team's preseason ranking? 📊🧐 pic.twitter.com/brYCGeyv34

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 12, 2024

USC is the fifth Big Ten team to make the Top 25 poll, after Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State (No. 8), and Michigan (No. 9). A total of six Big Ten teams made the first poll, with Iowa coming in at No. 25.

The Trojans are set to have a new look year both offensive and defensively. On offense, USC lost many of their top skill position players to the NFL, including quarterback Caleb Williams, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Outside of Williams, the Trojans also lost running back MarShawn Lloyd and receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice.

Williams was a primary reason the Trojans ranked in the top 25 over the last two years and even ranked in the top 10 at points. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was a top quarterback in college football and helped USC emerge as contenders, especially in 2022 when they finished atop the Pac-12 standings in the regular season.

The Trojans do feel good about their quarterbacks, featuring presumed starter Miller Moss and transfer Jayden Maiava. Moss is coming off a record-breaking performance in the Holiday Bowl in which he threw six touchdown passes, and looks to take over as the team's starter. Along with Moss, the Trojans have a stable of weapons they believe can step up including Ja'Kobi Lane, Zachariah Branch, and Makai Lemon.

Defensively, USC brought in former UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to turn around a defense that ranked 116th in yards allowed per game last season. The Trojans defense was easily the team's Achilles heel, and USC is hopeful that Lynn will pull off the turnaround he did at UCLA when he transformed the Bruins squad into a top-10 unit in just one season.

The Trojans kick off their season on Aug. 31 with a game against LSU in Las Vegas.