USC Trojans Jump Two Spots in AP Poll After Win vs. Wisconsin, Updated Rankings

After the No. 13 USC Trojans defeated the unranked Wisconsin Badgers in Week 5 of college football, will the Trojans rank within the Top-10 of the AP Poll?

Charlie Viehl | Sep 29, 2024

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view as Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans entered their week five matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers ranked No. 13 by the AP Poll. After a resounding comeback win, the Trojans are poised to move up slightly in the latest AP Poll.

In the most updated version of the AP Poll, the Trojans are ranked No. 11. Ahead of USC is still Michigan at No. 10.

After the win over the Badgers, USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley praised the toughness of his team despite the slow start.

"We played an awesome second half," said Riley. "We did not play Trojan football in the first half with turnovers, uncharacteristic. But we rallied, two games in a row. We have to figure out how to play better in the first half, but we have a resilient group."

Ahead of the Trojans, No. 6 Ole Miss lost to unranked Kentucky 20-17 at home. With a record of 3-2, the Kentucky Wildcats are unranked, but they came close to knocking off the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in week three.

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view of Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss.

Speaking of Georgia, they fell to No. 4 Alabama on the road in Tuscaloosa. After an ugly first half from Georgia coach Kirby Smart's team, the Bulldogs scored 27 second-half points in the comeback effort. However, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and the offense were unable to keep up with Alabama's offense, losing 34-41.

No. 10 Utah lost to an unranked Arizona 23-10, and the Utes' first loss of the season should knock them down at least five positions in the rankings.

The Trojans' week three opponent, No. 12 Michigan, strugged with Big Ten opponent Minnesota. The Golden Gophers converted an onside kick attempt, but it was called back by a questionable offside penalty.

The Wolverines handed USC its only loss of the season so far, and they should remain ranked ahead of the Trojans in the week six AP Poll. Georgia lost in a close game to a top-five team in Alabama, so they will most likely become the highest ranked team with one loss, ahead of the Michigan Wolverines who lost big to Texas at home.

For Ole Miss and Utah, there is potential of a big drop after losing to unranked conference foes.

As a result, the USC Trojans should only expect to move up two spots, from No. 13 to No. 11, when the week six edition of the AP Poll comes out. A lack of upsets across the country does not leave much room for the Trojans to climb their way into the top ten.

However, should the Trojans continue to win games, they will remain in the conversation for the College Football Playoff either as Big Ten champions or as an at-large candidate.

Here is the most updated version of the AP Poll:

1 Alabama

2 Texas

3 Ohio State

4 Tennessee

5 Georgia

6 Oregon

7 Penn State

8 Miami

9 Missouri

10 Michigan

11 USC