USC football is naturally not found in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports. The Trojans aren’t in the top 25, and they aren’t even in the “others receiving votes” category. They are nowhere near the rankings, and they shouldn’t be, after they fell to 3-3 on the season on Saturday. The Trojans lost in overtime to Penn State, blowing a 14-point third-quarter lead. If you want to read criticism of Lincoln Riley, Trojans Wire is a very good place to start. This is what happens when Army, Indiana, Liberty, James Madison, SMU, and other schools are getting votes in the polls and USC is not.
USC just can’t seem to play more than two and a half really strong quarters of football in each 2024 game. The Trojans have not had one game — other than the cupcake versus Utah State — in which they played three quarters of the same game at a high level. Riley just isn’t coaching his players to be consistent, and that is as central a failure of coaching as one could possibly imagine.
Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 7:
| Ranking | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas Longhorns | 6-0 | 1,373 (53) |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | 6-0 | 1,322 (2) |
| 3 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 6-0 | 1,220 |
| 4 | Georgia Bulldogs | 5-1 | 1,189 |
| 5 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 5-1 | 1,141 |
| 6 | Miami Hurricanes | 6-0 | 1,105 |
| 7 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 5-1 | 1,010 |
| 8 | LSU Tigers | 5-1 | 914 |
| 9 | Clemson Tigers | 5-1 | 904 |
| 10 | Tennessee Vols | 5-1 | 891 |
| 11 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 5-1 | 838 |
| 12 | Iowa State Cyclones | 6-0 | 823 |
| 13 | BYU Cougars | 6-0 | 686 |
| 14 | Texas A&M Aggies | 5-1 | 636 |
| 15 | Ole Miss Rebels | 5-2 | 524 |
| 16 | Missouri Tigers | 5-1 | 521 |
| 17 | Kansas State Wildcats | 5-1 | 472 |
| 18 | Indiana Hoosiers | 6-0 | 462 |
| 19 | Boise State Broncos | 5-1 | 373 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 6-0 | 340 |
| 21 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 5-1 | 231 |
| 22 | Michigan Wolverines | 4-2 | 223 |
| 23 | SMU Mustangs | 5-1 | 183 |
| 24 | Army Knights | 6-0 | 104 |
| 25 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 5-1 | 90 |