Should USC Be Higher Ranked?

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Unhappy USC is ranked No. 11 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings? Let’s see:

Quality wins: USC has not beaten a team currently ranked in the top 15.

Quality losses: Washington State and Notre Dame are ranked in the top 15 but USC lost by 35 points to the Irish.

Eye test: Western Michigan, Texas, Cal, Oregon State, Utah, Arizona, Colorado. Did I miss any other games where USC won but looked ugly doing it? Oregon State was a 38-7 victory but USC might have lost to a .500 team that day.

132 thoughts on “Should USC Be Higher Ranked?”

  1. Might have lost so vote them down???? I had them figured in at 8 or 9 because they have only one game left and they went through the season without a break, that has to count for something.

    • You have to hand it to Scott, steveg. I’ve heard him criticize us for a lot of things this year —-but this is the first time he’s ever knocked us for MAYBE losing to an imaginary team that we COULD have played instead of Oregon State.
      #AWholeNewThing

        • Wait until you read his next two posts. It’s hard to believe Scottie lacks excitement on UCLA week? Where is our picture of Johnny Morton or the previously mentioned, Marinovich giving the finger? He’s on some kind of bender right now!

    • So then you would be happy with the team, if it were voted #9? Seriously?

      IMHO, that seems like more of a distraction from your own disappointment than a strongly held conviction that USC is being mistreated.

  2. Rankings should be based on outcomes, not on potential. Week after week, out of the 61 AP voters, SW is among the 5 or so writers who rank the Trojans the lowest. SW ranks South Florida ahead of the Trojans. Does South Florida have a quality win? Is State University of New York at Stony Brook a quality win? Tulane? East Carolina?

    • 1. I take it you are NOT saying that SW is not holding USC back from the CFB Playoffs.

      2. Scott like to provoke more than to provide insight, and and many think think that style of reporting is kind of lazy.

      3. Based on outcomes, USC can’t really claim to be ready to run with the true big dawgs. The potential may be there (especially if FB were not a injury-intensive game). We may disagree about the explanation, but USC has not generally looked so great against teams with really strong stats (IMHO, after 11 games, it’s not unfair to judge the Stanford game to be an “outlier”). The last three D’s engaged were poor Ds, and USC’s offense was inconsistent even against those opponents. In addition, a problem has shown itself regarding USC’s D. More and more, its 1st-half performance has been a lot stronger than its second half performance. With the regular season closing Saturday, It’s not unfair to question the D’s ability to make in-game adjustments.

      4. Do the other 4 writers you mention consider USC to be a weaker team than South Florida? If not, we know that’s just SW being provocative. If you really take issue with the perceptions of the other 4 writers, please provide more facts. After all, not to do so is to emulate SW’s reportage, no? I’m pretty sure that Swann is not looking to SW to explain what’s missing from this USC team.

      5. More likely, you, too, are just frustrated with the team’s inconsistency–must more so that you are insulted by how most of the AP writers perceive USC. This is a tough situation for fans. IMHO, it would take some harshly realistic actions by Swann after the season ends to bring back the optimism that many of us would like to feel. Is Swann that guy, or not? We’ll see.

      • Definitely frustrated with a team that has so much talent and some truly gifted players. Regarding your question about South Florida, no one has them ranked as high. This is an SW thing. In terms of being provocative, he can do that here all he wants, but he should be responsible in his voting in the AP poll. And if he honestly thinks that South Florida should be ranked higher than Trojans, well, to each his own, but that strikes me as very strange and not easy to support.

      • Careful we can’t point out how incompetent lil wolf is here, he’ll take down your post. He’s like a lil commie dictator…

  3. We can debate schedules and USC no bye and value of it and where we belong. But how does Penn State jump USC after beating Rutgers?????? They lost the week before to Mich. State the who lost this week by 45. Out of conference they played Akron and Georgia State. Smells of east coast……..

    • Gomer and bye weeks are not good , he would had not of practiced or watched film like vs Whisky a few years ago … His game plans are ‘ Go Sam ‘

  4. No argument from me. 9 & 2 is nothing to sneeze at , but winning ugly makes it hard to earn a top 10 ranking. Ohio State has the same record, including two beat down losses. . But they have looked much more dominant in their victories. if USC wants to move up they need to smack UCLA and win convincingly in the PAC12 Championship Game.

    • Dont think beating this years UCLA team will do much in the rankings. We are supposed to blow them out

      • Agree. However if they do blow them out it will show everyone they can put the hammer down. So far they haven’t demonstrated they can. Unfortunately slamming UCLA & winning the Pac12 won’t get them into the CFP. Finishing strong would be nice though

      • The ruins hurt our strength of schedule every year. This year they are even worse than normal, losing to Memphis on national television.

    • Who could argue with that sound, common sense post? Someone will, no doubt, but their version of events will be pure fantasy. 🙂

  5. Does it really matter? The CFP is out of reach. Is there any way we don’t go to the Fiesta Bowl if we win out?

    • Wrong! The CFP is NOT out of reach —-not if we beat UCLA, win the Pac 12 AND hurriedly schedule a post season game with Alabama —and win that game, too.
      #ItCouldHappen

        • Ha! I have to forward this to my 3 best friends —all of whom, for some nutty reason, are Irish…..

          • Some say it’s genetic, but I believe that being Irish is a alternative lifestyle CHOICE.

          • Sat in a Scottish pub, guy at the bar was talking to me, he told me if I had any important questions, ask during the first pint, after that the brogue really kicks in and I won’t understand a word he says. Irish, Scottish, they all love a pint or two.

          • Great story! [Might as well throw in the Welch, too —- Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, etc —wonderful carousers—–quite lucky not to be around today given the climate —as our Flynn, O’Toole, etc, etc.]…..

          • So, I was sitting in a bar and commented to two heavier women. That’s a fine accent you ladies have, you must be from England, eh?

            One shot back: “That’s Wales, you silly git!”

            Oh, sorry: That’s a fine accent you WHALES have, you’re from England, eh?

          • Just because they’re whales doesn’t mean they’re extremely desperate…
            #itisin

          • Let me wager a guess here.
            I’ll bet it’s no coincidence your three best friends are Irish. It’s because they are mostly drunk which allows them to tolerate your uncanny ability to bore the hell out of everyone around you, right?

          • Irish and Irish Americans are boring? Are you talking about Joyce, Beckett, Wilde, or O’Connor?. Perhaps you’re just a metaphor for SW, too lazy to investigate before you hit “Post”. I know it’s UCLA week, and your team hasn’t enough horses this year, but you should have focused harder on nabbing another Irish American, Chip Kelly, for 2018, rather than on unsustainable over-generalizations.

        • Hoo, your dark humor is too good. You must be descended from an oppressed group of some kind.

          Regarding statistics, I give the footballoutsder stats a materially higher grade than the official NCAA stats. However, that site is more NFL-oriented. Now that your adopted home is an NFL town, check out the site. I really like “Word of Muth”. Little snippets of film and good attention to detail.

          P.S. I’ll vote yes to investigate/prosecute Hillary and/or any other liberal, if you’ll vote yes: (a) to reform how we finance elections; and (b) to apply a party-neutral algorithm to how we carve up voting districts.

          • Getting a legitimate investigation into the Clinton criminal enterprise in exchange for a sensible election process?
            #What’sTheCatch?

          • I don’t get involved in personalities. The Clinton enterprise, the Trump enterprise. They are symptoms of the same problem. Mercer gave $15 million to Trump, his partner Simon gave $10 million to Hillary. IMHO, the problem is that anyone is allowed to buy that kind of influence over elected officials. That is not democracy.

          • You are such a piece of work, Bennie. First you say that you’ll vote “to prosecute Hillary” in exchange for election reform—and I tell you that sounds pretty good —and then, out of nowhere, comes (1) a reference to Trump and (2) a screwy claim that you’re above getting involved in personalities.

          • To me, they are just the same–symptoms of the problem. The one is no better than the other. Simon is no worse that Mercer, or vice versa. They are rich guys allowed to buy too much influence. Trump is no worse that Hillary, and vice versa. Their just a couple of hacks, selling themselves to the highest bidder.

            THAT is the problem, That is my point. I have no deep interest in any of them, because it’s twiddle dee and twiddle dum. I want to see the process cleaned up, and then we’ll see whether a better semblance of democracy functions any better than this version? Candidly, when I hear your response, I become more pessimistic that it’s even possible.

          • If my response triggered pessimism, Ben —-I apologize for my response. Your sincere and thoughtful post deserved better than a flippant reply.

          • All those jokes about the Burmese has left me afraid of my own shadow…
            #weRallvictims

            Depends on how you define “reform.”
            I am all for 100% real transparency (not aboma “transparency,” which is like…aboma “honesty”…) in campaign finance. All donations must be posted publicly.

            The McCain idea that all big doners are banned — except UNIONS — is like saying no UClown or Trojans can be a ref in Saturdays game — but Bill Walton will choose the refs. Bill and Hill got lots of (illegal) foreign money (Maria Hsia and the Temple of Cash, anyone? Ng Lap Seng, aka “Mr. Wu” and Charlie Trie? It’s amazing how Lefties take the dirty money and the givers get convicted, but no LeftPols ever go down!)
            Only Americans and American money should influence US Elections. And every American should be aware of how much Wall Street and Soros money went to Hillary just the same as how much Wall Street and Koch money Trump got.

            I think voting districts are cut mainly in favor of Lef7ards, so neutrality is 100% on my side.
            Taking negotiating away from Re7ardicans is good for America because Dems ask for 100, Reps counter with 50 and then they settle for 185 so they can call it “Bipartisan.”

            Let’s get prosecuting!!!

            If you think those are the 2 biggest issues that need to be settled, then we are done discussing: you can have those two issues.

            I’d
            like to see Federal political corruption currently at the lowest felony level become a capital crime. Judicial corruption as well. Start with Sotomajor.

          • Not so fast, Hoo.

            Not disclosure. Prohibition of large donations. It’s too distortive. Public finance.

            Prohibition of the revolving door from office holder to lobbyist to office holder.

            No self-interested district drawing by anyone. Period. If the algorithm harms liberals, so be it. If it harms conservatives, then so be it.

            Clean up the process, separate the well-being of all public officials, left or right, from its utter dependence on donations friom the half-percent richest. Then let the chips fall where they may.

          • 100% disclosure = HONESTY.

            You guys on the left want to limit money because you know that 85% of the TV stations will push the Left.

            Like tonight, I was waiting where there was a TV on, LV local Fox 5 has this big teaser for upcoming “news”: “Trump criticizes Franken but not Ross.”

            That’s a lie. He’s criticized both, but unlike the left, he doesn’t mention Ross every time Franken’s name comes up. That’s what they think is “fair”.

  6. He can be forgiven —it’s such a hit-worthy piece.
    #ButMaybeIt’sBetterToStayWithinRealWorld

    • Squatter, you are plain out stupid. No wonder you like ugly. Stupid is stupid does. ND played Miami, not Auburn. Now, go find those sun glasses and return them. After that get to your job deliverying pizza

    • If someone who knew nothing of colleges or their mascots were looking for entertainment for a two-year-old’s birthday party and had to choose from any of the 129 teams, Joe bRuin would be the one chosen every time.

      100% nursery approved, designed for what babies want.

      Auburn. That’s that 2-year-old reading and comprehension skill showing — not to mention mental awareness of reality.

    • Get back to work! Tebowobama(suckiffin)…. Left the toilet crew nothing special in stall #3. It’s really bad, call in beefcakes and killer, they both have an awesome set of tools.

      I told Teboner not to eat the chili, shame on him!

  8. Scooter,
    Is the pope a Jesuit? Yes to both. Penn St. lost two in a row. So in your eyes, they need to go down even further due to not playing up to their potential. Same with Ohio St. There losses are newer than SC’s. Sc needs to go up to around 8.

  9. It would help if you held every other college team to the same standard as you do SC. I realize that you want (as we all do) for SC to be dominant in every game, but there are many, many variables that need to fall into place for that. Alabama is the closest right now, but look at last week when they struggled — and ESPN has a whole article today on how they are hampered by injuries as an excuse.

    • You hit the nail on the head. Sc doesn’t get any benefit of doubt. Where teams like Ohio State Alabama Florida State do. Alabama had eight people on IR. sheet last week.The week that USC played ND we had 23. I live in the south and I can tell you East Coast bias is strong and real. They are setting up to get Ohio State the ability to get in, ESPN has a lot of power and they push it to the limits.

  10. The Trojans have two losses. Can’t compare them with the teams that are above them with one loss. They have one quality win against a rank team and several games that could have gone they other way. Utah, Texas has them on the ropes and Colorado and Arizona came back to make it a game when they should have put them away. Injuries have hurt them. Part of the problem with the injuries was not getting 2nd units ready to play at a certain level. Can’t run a college defense like it’s the NFL. NFL players devout 8hrs a day, five days a week to their position with a number of assistants going over and over the tapes with you. I like what Washington St does. Every Thursday they have a scrimmage with the non-starters. It helps gets them conditioned for a game. This staff has done a good job and brought stability to the program. But somewhere done the line Swann will tell Helton he has to change his approach to coaching. I think Helton is fortunate to have Lynn Swann. Swann is a proven winner and knows what it takes to be a champion. Its whether if Helton has enough of the Gray matter and discipline to get the job done…Fight On!

      • Ha-Ha. That’s funny. Just like Dan Guerrero.
        Oh sure Dan Guerrero can pick a women’s lacrosse coach, but when it comes to the the only two revenue-producing sports (men’s football and basketball), he has two guys who have a lock on third and fourth place in the Pac-12 every single year. Forget about the cliche’ “can’t win the big one,” these guys can’t even get to the big one. Lynn Swann has been on a National Championship team. He’s in both the college hall of fame and the NFL hall of fame. Multiple super bowl rings. Swann was named an All-Pro Team Selection in 1975, 1977, and 1978.
        Swann went on to serve as a director on the boards of H J Heinz Co., Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, and Wyndham International. He was a football and sports broadcaster for ABC Sports from 1976–2006.
        Now, who would you pick as a AD?

        • Lynn Swan is St. Pat the second.
          If you liked St. Pat, you’ll love Swanny. P.S. has he actually done anything yet?
          Meanwhile, Guererro is National A.D. of the year.

    • Just get used to being a buck short with this coaching staff. It will never get a USC team good enough for the playoffs

      • I’m not thinkig of the playoffs. I’m thinking about how bad The Trojans will beatup on the Bruins this Saturday.

  11. This ranking looks about right for the Trojans . I am not sure you can rebound from the 35 pt ND loss after the Irish got humiliated by Miami in the rankings. Based on Colorados record and most of the Pac12 south those wins dont help much

    • Would you rank your little gutties closer to 40 or 50? After your loss to USC, just what bowl do you feel ucla is qualified to suit up for?

      Should your ucla athletic program be allowed to petition for a bowl in view of the China Syndrome?

  12. SC has played 2 teams that will be ranked at the end of the season and they lost to both

    • That will be the boring game of the year. Fred should love it, there will be 10 or less passes all game.

      • I think I will tune in- It’ll put me to sleep and is around my nap time. I will just say this about Fred, he thinks football should be played only 1 way.

  15. Hey Scooter, you trying to tell us that 38-7 isn’t a blow out ? Both losses on the road. Stanford, Washington State, Utah, ND, ASU, and Arizona were all ranked above 25 when USC played them. I’m sure Scooter, when you are wearing your Thinking Cap if ever, you would agree that the Texas Longhorns were a d@mn good team. Stupid post, Scooter. Try to do better next time.

  16. There is a definite east coast bias against USC – on the current CFB board determining the rankings there is only one rep from west of the Rockies from Oregon and a former AD at TX Tech – this was discussed this am on the 710 am Keyshawn, George and LZ. Tyrone Willingham is on the board. It is larded with upper midwest and salted with southerners. The gist of the claim made by that former AD from TX Tech, who currently is the head of the board, is that USC is very good but the ones higher are better because well they’re just better.

    The national sports writers admire USC but they also love to see them fail – I’d say that was evident by the corrupt cabal that ran the ncaa hit on us back in 2008 esp, that fat clown out of Miami former AD Paul Dee.

    Need to take care of business this Saturday and two weeks hence as well as whatever bowl we get assigned (probably Fiesta) and also watch ‘the night of the long knives’ takes place over the next 2 weeks and also in the bowls.

    best thing for us is if the CFB foolishly puts 2 SEC team or ACC team anywhere near the top 4 prior to their final poll – ratings will be awful just as they were when AL faced LSU in 2011.

    Need to wait for 2018

  17. I have not given up on SC making the “Final-4.” Their odds before last weekend were dismal, but Las Vegas now has them at 64-1 to win the national championship!

    That converts to 16-1 to get into the Final-4.

    And I believe Alabama will flex its muscles and beat Auburn and Georgia, so that brings the odds down to 4-1.

    But it is the Wisconsin-Ohio St situation for that No. 4 spot that has me worried.

    Of course the the Miami-Clemson loser (hopefully Clemson) still might be ahead of SC.

    But is it not wonderful that SC is still in the conversation in November?

    And how about all these close games this year. This has been the most dramatic SC football year I have ever experienced, and I go back, boys and girls, to 1961 when SC went for 2 against No. 1 Iowa and lost by 1. That game turned the tide for an average Trojans’ team through the ’50s.

  18. Ohio St lost twice embarrassingly at home to Oklahoma and on the road to an unranked Iowa team, why are they above us?

    If this happened to USC, lil wolf would say we don’t deserve to be ranked, such a hater

  19. Control what you can control. Keep winning and the rankings will take care of themselves. It would be hard to argue this is a top 4 team and deserving of the CFP so SC’s rank is really irrelevant. Win the conference championship and enjoy a New Years Day bowl.

  21. All this Scooterspeak will be buried under if/when:

    1. SC 45, ucla 24 (The Bell)
    2. SC 31, WSU 27 (PAC12 CG)
    3. SC 45, TCU 42 (Bowl)

  22. Can anybody tell me how SC is ranked ahead of Wash St. and Washington is ranked ahead of Stanford? They did play each other and we all know the score. Do they expect Stanford to lose to ND and UW to beat WSU and SC to beat UW?

    • 3 point loss on the road on a short week. Who doesn’t think SC kills em now. UW over Stanford, who knows. Only way Stanford beats ND is if Love goes off.

  23. It is obvious to me this is a Helton result all the way. No respect for his and his coaching staff. The talent this USC team has and the way they are playing.

  24. Again he’s ok with Ohio St being top 10 but if USC had gotten spanked by Iowa like Ohio St, wolf would say we don’t deserve to be ranked at all.

  25. No pac 12 should be above 15…and Teams that beat others should be ranked above them this week just like conference standings show it…if one wins one can move up, lose get a lower ranking.

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