Reign of Troy
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USC football ranked in AP Top 25, Coaches poll after big UCLA win

By Alicia de Artola

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 23: USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton looks on in the tunnel before a college football game between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans on November 23, 2019, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 23: USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton looks on in the tunnel before a college football game between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans on November 23, 2019, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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USC football returned to the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll after finishing the regular season at 8-4 with a 52-35 victory over rival UCLA.

MORE. Firing Helton No Foregone Conclusion

USC football now has a clean sweep of rankings, appearing in the AP and Coaches Polls after making their debut in the College Football Playoff Top 25 last week.

The Trojans checked in at No. 25 in both the AP and the Coaches votes. They are the highest ranked four-loss team in the nation in each. They were ranked No. 23 in the playoff rankings before their win over UCLA on Saturday.

CHECK OUT: Kedon Slovis sets record in UCLA shootout

The 52-35 rivalry win secured an 8-4 record in the regular season and set USC up for a potential berth in the Pac-12 title game. The Trojans need Utah to lose their regular season finale to Colorado this coming Saturday in order to win the Pac-12 South.

Whether or not the season continues with a championship game appearance, USC has objectively completed a turnaround from last season’s 5-7 disappointment. They can finish no worse than third in the conference and will enter bowl season as a ranked squad.

Will that be enough to save Clay Helton’s job? That’s a question not for the pollsters, but for new athletic director Mike Bohn. Still, the fact that Helton is ranked to end the 2019 regular season is something Bohn will have to consider when he makes his decision on the embattled head coach.

Top 25: AP | Coaches

  1. LSU | LSU
  2. Ohio State | Ohio State
  3. Clemson | Clemson
  4. Georgia | Georgia
  5. Alabama | Alabama
  6. Utah | Utah
  7. Oklahoma | Oklahoma
  8. Florida | Florida
  9. Minnesota | Minnesota
  10. Michigan | Baylor
  11. Baylor | Michigan
  12. Penn State | Penn State
  13. Wisconsin | Oregon
  14. Oregon | Wisconsin
  15. Notre Dame | Notre Dame
  16. Auburn | Auburn
  17. Memphis | Cincinnati
  18. Cincinnati | Memphis
  19. Iowa | Boise State
  20. Boise State | Iowa
  21. Oklahoma State | Oklahoma State
  22. Appalachian State | Appalachian State
  23. Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech
  24. Navy | Navy
  25. USC | USC

Utah is the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 going into the final week of regular season play. That means Colorado will have to pull off an unlikely upset of the nation’s No. 6 team in order to boost the Trojans into the conference title game.

Oregon dropped to No. 14 in the AP and No. 13 in the Coaches after falling to ASU on Saturday. The Sun Devils are now receiving votes in the AP poll.

Notre Dame remains a solid loss for the Trojans as the No. 15 team in both polls.

Next. Studs and Duds vs. UCLA

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