USC Trojans Ranked Most Disappointing: Among Florida State, Michigan, Auburn

The USC Trojans have had a disappointing 2024 season. USC once was ranked No. 11 in the AP Top-25 Poll, but has lost four of their last five games to fall out of the rankings completely. USC is one of the "most disappointing" teams in college football along with Florida State, Michigan and Auburn.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have struggled in the 2024 season. Are the Trojans one of the ten most disappointing teams in college football so far this season? Auburn, Michigan, and Florida State also make a good case.

USC had a promising start to the year after knocking off the LSU Tigers in their opening game. The Trojans followed that up with a win over Utah State to improve to 2-0 on the season and climbed to No. 11 in the AP Poll. Since that moment, it’s been all downhill. USC has a record of 3-4.

Trojans Ranked As One of Most Disappointing Teams in 2024

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8)*walks off the field after Maryland Terrapins defense stopped the offense on downs during the second half at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

CBS Sports ranked the USC Trojans in the Top Ten for "Most Disappointing Teams" of 2024. The Auburn Tigers took the top spot on the "Most Disappointing" list, followed by Arizona, Florida State, Kansas and Michigan.

USC was the preseason No. 23 team in the country. Their opening two games had the Trojans fly up in the polls. USC was ranked No. 11 heading into their Week Four meeting against the Michigan Wolverines. 

The Trojans had a lead late, but Michigan scored a last-second touchdown to steal the win, 27-24. Having leads in the 4th quarter and blowing them has been a constant theme for the Trojans. 

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws a pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In each of the Trojans’ four losses, they held a 4th quarter lead in each game. It started with the Michigan game, but it just got worse and worse. The Trojans held a 17-10 lead in the 4th quarter to Minnesota but got outscored 14-0 to end the game. 

The Trojans then came home to play Penn State. USC once again took a big lead and was up 20-6 at halftime. The Nittany Lions tied the game up but USC got the lead right back 30-23 with 4 minutes remaining. Penn State tied the game up to send it to overtime, where they promptly won 33-30. 

As if things couldn’t get any worse next week against Maryland, USC was leading the Terrapins 28-14 in the fourth quarter. Maryland proceeded to score 15 points and won 29-28. 

It's unacceptable to lose this many 4th quarter leads, especially when USC has the talent edge. To rub salt in the wound, all of these losses have been conference losses. The Trojans record in their inaugural season in the Big Ten is 1-4.

Can the Trojans Turn the Season Around?

Nothing can change the fact that USC has lost 4 games already this season. The way to get past that is to have complete focus on the next opponent and the next challenge. Next up for USC are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Rutgers is on a three-game losing skid of their own.

Coach Lincoln Riley and USC desperately needs a home win over a struggling team to get back on track this season.

MORE: USC Trojans' Quarterback Miller Moss Is Not The Problem With USC Football

MORE: Bronny James and Lebron James Make History in Los Angeles Lakers Season Opener

MORE: Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams Returns Home vs. Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels

MORE: Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold Reacts To Division Loss To Detroit Lions: 'Resilient'

MORE: Big Ten Power Rankings: USC Trojans Fall Out of Top 10 with Four Conference Losses

MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Job At Risk? Hot Seat, Buyout Details

MORE: USC Trojans' Fourth-and-1 Field Goal Failure Highlights Lincoln Riley's Larger Issues

MORE: Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown Dominates Minnesota Vikings With 112-Yard Game