Last week, USC entered the college football AP Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25 in the rankings. After Saturday’s victory over Michigan State, the Trojans moved up four spots, and now sit at No. 21.
Notably, USC now sits one spot ahead of archrival Notre Dame, who are ranked No. 22. Last week, the Trojans were one spot behind the Irish, despite the latter team not having won a game yet on the season. Notre Dame got its first win of 2025 on Saturday, defeating Purdue 56-30.
Five Big Ten teams currently sit ahead of USC in the rankings: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Oregon, No. 12 Indiana, and No. 19 Michigan. The Trojans will avoid facing three of those five teams in 2025, but will host the Wolverines on October 11 and visit the Ducks on November 22. In addition, USC will visit Notre Dame on October 18.
The Trojans’ next opponent, Illinois, came in two spots behind them at No. 23. The Illini were blown out 63-10 by Indiana on Saturday. Saturday’s matchup in Champaign will be a battle of two top 25 teams looking to earn more national respect.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC rises to No. 21 in college football AP Poll after victory over Michigan State
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
