Bye week provides surprising lift for USC in Week 10 AP Top 25 Poll

The USC Trojans are coming off a bye week, and while their last game ended in a ten-point loss to rival Notre Dame, the voters didn’t hold it against them for long. USC still found its way back into the AP Top 25 this week coming in at No. 23, setting up a big prime-time matchup against Nebraska.

The Trojans will see a few familiar names in this week’s Top 25. Future road opponent Oregon, along with Notre Dame and Michigan, all sit ahead of USC, though the Trojans can take some comfort in knowing their win over Michigan could serve as a key tiebreaker if both teams finish with the same record later this season.

This week’s AP Top 25 will likely be the last one that fans, teams, and media pay much attention to. The first College Football Playoff rankings are set to drop next Tuesday, November 4, shifting the conversation toward the playoff race.

For USC, it’s a unique opportunity, as a road win over a conference opponent as a ranked team would only strengthen the Trojans’ résumé ahead of the playoff rankings release. USC already boasts a signature win over Michigan, who was ranked 15th at the time, along with two quality road losses to ranked opponents in Illinois and Notre Dame. USC led both of those games in the second half before falling short.

USC will hit the road to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the Cornhuskers this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.