The USC Trojans will not appear in the US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports, for the rest of the season. That’s what happens when a team is 3-4 through seven games. Meanwhile, USC’s Western competitor, the Oregon football machine, is now No. 1 in the poll. It’s a worst-case scenario for USC football under Lincoln Riley.
The Trojans need to recruit more of the players Oregon winds up getting. Oregon has clearly been better than USC at player acquisition, and that is feeding into what we are seeing on the field this year. It’s true that USC isn’t coaching its players as well as it can, but especially on defense, it’s less about the coaching itself and more about lacking both quality and depth. As soon as Eric Gentry, Anthony Lucas, and Bear Alexander ceased to be available to play (for various reasons), the USC defense lost some of its quality. USC simply has to stockpile elite depth to become more of a factor in national college football.
Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 8:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 7-0 | 1,323 (51) |
| 2 | Georgia | 6-1 | 1,238 (2) |
| 3 | Penn State | 6-0 | 1,197 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-1 | 1,107 |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 7-0 | 1,087 |
| 6 | Texas | 6-1 | 1,082 |
| 7 | LSU | 6-1 | 946 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 6-1 | 916 |
| 9 | Clemson | 6-1 | 907 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 7-0 | 829 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 809 |
| 12 | BYU | 7-0 | 740 |
| 13 | Indiana | 7-0 | 651 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | 641 |
| 15 | Alabama | 5-2 | 554 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 6-1 | 488 |
| 17 | Missouri | 6-1 | 486 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 5-2 | 444 |
| 19 | Boise State | 5-1 | 379 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 6-0 | 359 |
| 21 | Illinois | 6-1 | 347 |
| 22 | SMU | 6-1 | 249 |
| 23 | Army | 7-0 | 185 |
| 24 | Navy | 6-0 | 115 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | 5-2 | 37 |