The USC Trojans fell to No. 18 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports. The Trojans, ranked No. 12 one week ago, dropped six spots as a result of their 41-27 loss to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.
This was a very rough week for the Big Ten. Washington, Penn State, and Michigan all lost in addition to USC. The Big Ten has only two teams in the top 12 right now, Ohio State and Indiana. It has no teams in the top four. The Big Ten could be looking at a situation in which only two of its teams make the playoff. Keep in mind that Oregon and Ohio State, both with one loss, meet later this season. USC plays Washington and Penn State. Teams with one loss are going to play each other and create a bunch of two-loss teams. The margin
for error for a lot of Big Ten teams is quickly shrinking. It will be fascinating to see which teams hold up under pressure, and if any team other than Ohio State or Indiana makes a clear run at the playoff. Iowa, fresh off its win over Michigan, becomes an interesting dark-horse playoff candidate in the Big Ten. UCLA is a dark-horse playoff candidate as well after starting the season 4-0.
USC faces Washington this coming Saturday in what can realistically be called a playoff elimination game. There's no real playoff path for either team with a loss on the first weekend of October. No one would pick the Trojans or Huskies to run the table if they lose this coming weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC falls six spots after Oregon loss in latest US LBM Coaches Poll
