USC football, after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, is now No. 17 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports. The Trojans rose eight spots from their previous No. 25 ranking due to their win over Ohio State, which was in the top three of the poll last week and tumbled all the way down to No. 10 after the loss. Both USC and Ohio State have two losses after Saturday night's game, creating a crowded and complicated College Football Playoff picture in the Big Ten.
The UCLA Bruins are No. 5 in the new poll. They lead the Big Ten as the only unbeaten team in the conference going into November. UCLA has to play road games at Minnesota and Michigan - not easy, but not terrifyingly overwhelming, either. The Bruins, if they lose just
one game the rest of the way (they also play Illinois and USC), will likely be in the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff ... but it's not a guarantee. Ohio State lost to Texas earlier in the season, so the Buckeyes have only one conference loss. Indiana has only one loss, but that loss was to Ohio State, so the Hoosiers would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Buckeyes if it helps decide the Big Ten title game's representatives.
USC has to win out to have any chance of making either the Big Ten title game or the College Football Playoff. 10-2 was a must before the season, and nothing has changed to warrant an adjusted forecast. 9-3 won't cut it for the Trojans, whose loss to Wisconsin now looks a lot worse after Iowa crushed the Badgers this past weekend. USC's loss to Oregon doesn't look as good now that the Ducks have endured a difficult season.
If USC does beat Indiana and UCLA (in addition to, of course, Maryland), the value of those two wins should definitely carry the Trojans into a playoff position. Now it's all about actually getting the job done and taking the decision out of the committee's hands. The more USC achieves, the less any committee can snub the Trojans in early December.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC rises eight spots in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Ohio State win
