While the USC Trojans season ended back in December, the College Football season just officially ended after Ohio State took down Notre Dame in the National Championship game.
Seeing that we are just three days into the offseason, what better time to begin talking about the best 25 teams entering next season?
On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman did just that as they released their way-to-early College Football Top 25.
USC Trojans Not Included In Latest College Football Top 25
The USC Trojans finished a disappointing 2024 campaign with a 7-6 record. Quite uninspiring considering the momentum around the team after the first two weeks, and the path to the College Football Playoff being broadened to 12 teams.
However, even with the porous record, it is my opinion, and the opinion of many others, that based on the play throughout the season, and what has transpired in the offseason so far, the Trojans are closer to being a really good team, than they are to a bottom dweller of the Big Ten.
It’s January, so who really cares who makes a Top 25 poll, but, it’s January, so let’s talk about why it is laughable.
For starters, both Penn State and Notre Dame, who made the CFP and the latter played in the National Championship, are ranked in the Top 5, and rightfully so. However, SC took Penn State to overtime and was within one score with ND late in the 4th quarter until back-to-back 100-yard pick sixes inflated the score. Should this carry some weight?
Also, LSU is ranked in the Top 15. USC beat LSU on neutral ground.
Texas A&M is 19. The USC Trojans just beat them in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Nebraska snuck in at 25. I really do like what Matt Rhule is building in Lincoln, and would not be shocked at all if they do finish in the Top 25 and are one of the top teams in the Big Ten, but ranking them ahead of USC in January after they not only lost to USC late last year but also lost their defensive coordinator is…a choice. They have 15 transfers coming in but lost 27 to the portal. At this moment, not sure how you could rank Nebraska ahead of SC unless the belief is that soon-to-be sophomore QB Dylan Raiolo takes a massive step forward.
But having Nebraska in the Top 25 is not even the most egregious.
Putting an Oklahoma team at 18 that finished 6-7, will have another new starting transfer QB, and has made a number of coaching changes including both coordinator positions, is laughable to me. I can see how adding QB John Mateer certainly should help them improve, but again, as it stands right now, don’t see the argument for putting them in the Top 25 over USC.
There will be plenty more Top 25 polls that will be released between now and the end of August when the season kicks off. After the 2nd transfer portal window, I do expect the USC Trojans to pick up some steam and I would be surprised if they do not begin the season in the AP Top 25.
But time will tell. For now, it really does not matter. What do you think, should USC be considered a Top 25 team right now?