USC drops to No. 22 in new AP poll
NEW YORK (AP) — After another humiliating loss, Southern California tumbled to its worst ranking since Pete Carroll’s Trojans began their run as one of college football’s best programs in 2002.
USC is No. 22 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, dropping 11 spots after losing 55-21 to Stanford. The Trojans have been ranked in 128 consecutive media polls dating to the start of the 2002 season, but never this low.
The Trojans haven’t been ranked lower than No. 13 since October 2002.
Meanwhile, Stanford soared up the rankings to No. 14, its best showing since being No. 11 in the last regular-season poll of 2001.
Florida remained No. 1 and Alabama leapfrogged Texas into the No. 2 spot, one of only two small changes to the top 10.
The Gators received 36 first-place votes. Alabama received 14 first-place votes after its most convincing victory — 31-3 at Mississippi State — in more than a month.
Texas got 10 first-place votes. The Crimson Tide and Longhorns are separated by just five points.
The other three undefeated major college teams were next, with TCU at No. 4, Cincinnati at No. 5 and Boise State No. 6 for the second consecutive week.
No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Pittsburgh also held their places. No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 LSU flip-flopped for the only other change in the top 10.
For USC, the lopsided loss to Stanford marked the second time in the last three games the Trojans were handed the worst loss of the Carroll era. Oregon beat USC 47-20 in Eugene on Halloween night.
The latest embarrassment happened at the Coliseum, where USC has lost only two of its last 49 games — both times to Stanford.
“This isn’t what we grew up watching,” USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said after the Stanford game.
SI.com
11/16/9
