USC football on verge of return to the AP poll Top 25 in Week 8

USC football didn’t make it back into the Top 25 after besting Colorado, but the Trojans are on the verge of returning to the AP poll.

The Week 8 AP poll dropped on Sunday afternoon and for the fifth-straight week, USC football was not in the mix for the Top 25. But they’re getting close.

The Trojans are among those receiving votes after knocking Colorado out of the ranking with a 31-20 victory at the Coliseum. Sitting behind Stanford as the first team on the outside looking in, USC received 53 votes, even with San Diego State.

The Pac-12 could use some extra representation in the poll right now. The conference’s top-ranked team is No. 12 Oregon, with Washington dropping eight spots to No. 15 and Washington State debuting at No. 25.

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This week’s match up in Salt Lake City could result in at least one more Pac-12 team jumping into the Top 25. Utah is also receiving votes this week with 33 and looking for a victory over USC to launch them forward. That’s some extra motivation to go along with the Pac-12 South tiebreaker implications on the line.

The Trojans are closer to returning to the AP poll than the Amway coaches poll. Though they’re receiving votes, 25 to be exact, they’re settled beyond the pack chasing a ranking. Miami, Mississippi State, Michigan State, San Diego State, Duke, Appalachian State, Utah State and Utah are all pulling higher vote totals.

The Pac-12 is better represented in the coaches poll in general. Oregon sits at No. 11 and Washington at No. 14, but they are joined by No. 23 Washington State, No. 24 Stanford and No. 25 Colorado.

TRENDING: Five takeaways from USC’s defensive win over Colorado

The Top 10 of both rankings speaks to USC’s past and future. Texas is now No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the coaches, making that road loss look less and less damaging for the Trojans. Looking ahead, the regular season finale against Notre Dame is set up for intrigue with the Irish currently ranked No. 4 in both polls.