Last week, USC was ranked No. 19 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. On Tuesday, the second rankings were released, and the Trojans moved up two spots to No. 17.
USC jumped ahead of Louisville and Virginia, both of whom lost on Saturday. The Trojans, meanwhile, took care of business against Northwestern on Friday, winning 38-17.
While USC’s next opponent, Iowa, was not ranked in the AP or USA Today US LBM Coaches Polls, they did come in at No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Hence, Saturday’s game at the Coliseum will indeed be a top 25 matchup.
After hosting Iowa, the Trojans will travel to No. 8 Oregon the following week, before closing out the regular season at home against crosstown rival UCLA. With two of its final three games remaining against ranked opponents, USC very much controls its own destiny in terms of the playoff race. Winning out will not be easy by any means, but if the Trojans can find a way to do so, they should be pretty much a look for the field.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC moves up two spots to No. 17 in latest CFP rankings
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
