USC football did not fall all the way out of the US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports. The Trojans, for some weird reason, were included in the poll at No. 25. They fell 10 spots, but they remain above the Wisconsin team which just hammered them.
Being No. 25 instead of unranked is a hollow and ultimately meaningless distinction for USC. What matters is that the Trojans are now almost certain to miss the College Football Playoff for the fifth straight year under Lincoln Riley and for the 13th year of the playoff's existence since it came into being for the 2014 college football season. USC can recruit all the top-rated players it wants, but as long as Lincoln Riley is still coaching the Trojans, they won't be in the top five of the US LBM
Coaches Poll at the end of the season, when it really matters. USC football remains aimless and adrift, and unless or until changes get made, the program will continue on its present trajectory, which is a trajectory of failure, frustration, disappointment, and underachievement.
USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen has to find a way to make Lincoln Riley's buyout more manageable and to usher in a transition for 2027. She might need to make the announcement as soon as the Trojans lose their third game of the season, which would essentially eliminate them from playoff contention. If USC plays Ohio State close on October 31, maybe Cohen can hold off until the Trojans lose a fourth game, which might happen at Indiana on November 14.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC falls 10 spots in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Wisconsin debacle
