USC Football Ranked No. 9 In Week 15 AP Poll

USC football moved up one spot to No. 9 in the Week 15 AP poll, heading into bowl season as the second-highest ranked Pac-12 team.

While the Trojans were inactive for the final weekend of football before bowl season, USC took advantage of movement ahead of them, rising to No. 9 in the AP poll.

Clay Helton and his team will hope that the College Football Playoff selection committee agrees with the media, with the Colorado Buffaloes falling to No. 11. Should USC be ranked ahead of Colorado in the CFP, they will earn a berth in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.

The Buffaloes faced Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday. They kept the game close in the first half, but the Huskies eventually pulled away thanks to third quarter turnovers.

With Washington’s victory, they should punch a ticket to the playoff as one of the Top 4, leaving an open spot in the Rose Bowl.

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Since the Rose Bowl is obligated to take the highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the final CFP rankings, the committee’s decision on how far to drop the Buffaloes for their loss will have a major impact on the bowl picture.

The AP poll’s top four remained the same with Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington maintaining their places.

In the Pac-12, Stanford moved up one place to No. 16 but Utah and Washington State remained on the outside looking in after dropping out last week.

USC finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak after starting the year with a 1-3 record. Thanks to their exceptional run, the Trojans are widely considered as one of the most dangerous squads in college football right now. However, thanks to two early losses in conference they were unable to overcome Colorado’s own impressive run to the Pac-12 South division title.