FOOTBALL

USC Is A Safe No. 17 In Early Poll

ESPN’s SP+ rankings are out and the analytics-based poll has USC at No. 17 for next season.

Isn’t it funny that you can take all the analytics and still come out with the same safe, generic ranking for USC that the Top 25 polls will probably come out with this summer? It’s almost as if the analytics include that USC is a marquee program.

The SP+ ratings were created by Bill Connelly and based on three factors: returning production, recent recruiting and recent history.

Here is the rest of the Pac-12:

5. Oregon

11. Washington

17. USC

18. Arizona State

19. Utah

21. UCLA

46. Washington State

50. Colorado

54. Cal

60. Oregon State

68. Stanford

92. Arizona

  • The USC-Arizona basketball game on Feb. 20 at the Galen Center will either be at 1:30 p.m. or 3 p.m.
  • Writer Tom Shanahan has come out with another story that disputes the myth that the 1970 USC-Alabama game or John McKay-Bear Bryant relationship led to desegregation of football in the South.

23 thoughts on “USC Is A Safe No. 17 In Early Poll”

  1. Well, if there’s any value in these rankings —glad we don’t have Oregon or Washington on the regular schedule.
    #WishWeCouldSwapOutUtahFor2GamesW/Arizona

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  3. Oregon #5? Washington #11? ucla – 10 and 21 over the last 3 seasons, losing RB Felton, and playing LSU, Oregon, and Washington – #21?

    Sounds like the software needs to be recalibrated.

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    1. Yeah, 67…the UCLA thing kinda undermines ESPN’s credibility, don’t it? Hard to trust the rest of their rankings….
      #….Hey!MaybeWe’reActually#1…..

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      1. MG, I just don’t get the ucla ranking. It is supposed to be based on recruiting (nothing much there), past performance (awful), and who is still on the roster (which doesnt make much sense if they sucked in the past). Plus there are at least 3 losses with LSU, Wash, and Oregon. Losses also to USC and ASU, and possibly Fresno State. And that tallies up to #21? As Ed Garrett would say, SMDH….

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Hey Dumbo, UCLA FB returns 10 veterans on both defense and offense. If only ’67, you didn’t have your head up your kazoo.

      As usual SUCC FB gets a cupcake schedule; sevens game at home and avoid Oregon and Washington.

      SUCC the any team, anywhere, anytime FB team.

      Has Slowvis come too yet?

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      1. owns:

        ucla is 10-21 in the last 3 years. Returning starters are only helpful when they are good. Enjoy next fall’s losing season.

        you come to a usc site and make light of USC players getting hurt. Nobody here – nobody – makes that mistake regarding bruin players. People here love the game and worry about any player who gets hurt, irrespective of who they are, who they play for.

        Well-done.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. All true, 67. And playing BYU and Notre Dame [at South Bend] besides Utah and Arizona State isn’t my idea of a “cupcake” schedule.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Bohn – are you listening to the rest of the football world? USC recruits superior athletes and then the coaches cant develop them into a winning team.

    TO and the defensive staff are good, now you need to can the HC and the offensive coaching staff. USC had one good recruiting year, but it wont get better if you dont solve the issues with Helton and that terrible air raid offense.

    Clay McGuire said he was going to recruit top linemen and now he is offering 3 star linemen.

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  5. Toilet paper……….USC has no OL and is weak at QB and no ILB and a weak defensive line (Foreman is a freshman and Sopsher is a cast off that can’t rush….see Pili)…….our safety is another castoff.
    We should be somewhere around 30th based on superior talent at corner, receiver and running back.
    Oregon is in the top 10 but until Cristo can prove he can coach against a top team….not top 5. They will be better on defense because their change at defensive coordinator was a major improvement.
    Udub is about right….maybe under ranked. Depends on coaching…..the horses are there.
    Az St about right. He has got the trains running on time.
    Utah….to be seen…..is their defense rebuilt….the offense ought to be good.
    UCLA……..they got a good replacement RB……maybe 25th. Depends on what K can milk out of his defense when nobody attends games.

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      2. He’s a winner, no doubt. Hope he’s throwing the way he threw before the Holiday Bowl in 2019. If he does, and USC’s defense plays the way it was playing at the end of the 2020 season, that #17 ranking is gonna look very modest. We could easily be a Top 10 Team…

        Liked by 2 people

  7. Come on ’67, aren’t you being a bit whiny. Does anyone on this blog know the extent of Slowvis’ injury?

    But in the interest of your fair point (But off point), I will stop using references to Slowvis’ Oregon game field trauma in my posts.

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  9. The offensive side of the ball is a big mess. A motley crew of coaches led by a kid who has an offensive plan you could write on a napkip – run out there and I’ll throw it to you.

    The offense is throwing out offers to 3 star athletes because they are going to whiff on the 4 and 5 star athletes again. TO has “taken back the west” on the recruiting for defense. Harrell hired the only o-line coach that would take the job.

    Bohn/Sosna are letting Harrell and Helton hang themselves. It will be a year where the defense must hand the game to the offense. There will be some moments of success on offense, but alot of periods where USC really cant do anything right on offense. I just hope Notre Dame is early in the schedule, so H&H can be axed and TO can be the interim HC. He wont get the job, but he will at least show some improvement, although it will be hard to repair things from the Clay & Graham & Clay show.

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  10. SC and oregon are ranked too high. I laugh when they add history to the three part equation and then look at oregon. They have no history. They have won a few rose bowls, a heisman, but no championship games. At least SC has done all three.

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