The Big Ten is the conference USC football needs to be able to master. If the Trojans can’t master it, they at least need to be largely successful in their new home. Instead, USC is buried at 4-5 while Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana enjoy the view in the top tier of the US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports.
Oregon and Ohio State are in the top three, while Indiana cracked the top 10 of the poll. With Penn State staying in the top 10, the Big Ten has four teams in the top 10. The Big Ten could have four teams in the College Football Playoff, with USC not being one of them. It’s a brutal turn of events for a USC team which had so much cause for optimism after beating LSU on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas. Everything looks completely different two months from now.
USC is struggling just to make a bowl game of any kind. The Trojans will have to come up with two wins in their final three games to reach that bottom-rung goal.
Here is the rest of the latest US LBM Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 9-0 | 1,349 (53) |
| 2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 7-1 | 1,267 (1) |
| 3 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 7-1 | 1,245 |
| 4 | Miami Hurricanes | 9-0 | 1,194 |
| 5 | Texas Longhorns | 7-1 | 1,138 |
| 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 7-1 | 1,039 |
| 7 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 7-1 | 982 |
| 8 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 7-1 | 961 |
| 9 | BYU Cougars | 8-0 | 918 |
| 10 | Indiana Hoosiers | 9-0 | 916 |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 6-2 | 772 |
| 12 | Ole Miss Rebels | 7-2 | 657 |
| 13 | LSU Tigers | 6-2 | 653 |
| 14 | Boise State Broncos | 7-1 | 615 |
| 15 | SMU Mustangs | 8-1 | 603 |
| 16 | Texas A&M Aggies | 7-2 | 518 |
| 17 | Clemson Tigers | 6-2 | 513 |
| 18 | Iowa State Cyclones | 7-1 | 511 |
| 19 | Army Black Knights | 8-0 | 404 |
| 20 | Washington State Cougars | 7-1 | 284 |
| 21 | Kansas State Wildcats | 7-2 | 201 |
| 22 | Missouri Tigers | 6-2 | 192 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 7-1 | 178 |
| 24 | Colorado Buffaloes | 6-2 | 124 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 6-3 | 85 |