On Monday night, Indiana defeated Miami to win its first ever national championship. With it, the 2025 college football season is now officially in the books.
On Tuesday, the final AP Poll of the season was released. USC came in at No. 20—four spots lower than where it ranked in the final regular season poll last month. The Trojans dropped their final game of the year, falling 30-27 to TCU in the Alamo Bowl.
USC was one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the final poll. The national champion Hoosiers were No. 1, followed by No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Ohio State. In addition, Iowa was ranked No. 17 and Michigan No. 21.
Does it make sense to have USC three spots behind an Iowa team that the Trojans finished with the same record as and beat head-to-head? No. Is it worth complaining about at this point? Also no. Finishing a few spots higher in the final poll would not have meant much for USC in the scheme of things.
Next season, USC is slated to face three of the top five teams from the final 2025 rankings. The Trojans will visit Indiana and host Ohio State and Oregon. It will certainly not be an easy road next year as USC enters what could be a make-or-break season for head coach Lincoln Riley.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC ranked No. 20 in final college football AP Poll of season
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
