USC Leaps Over Georgia And Ohio State Into No.1 Spot In Polls

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NEW YORK -- By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
 
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Didn't they used to wait at least a couple weeks before putting out these polls?
 

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<TABLE class=tablehead cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD>AP Top 25</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD> 1. USC (21) 1-0 1,539</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 2. Georgia (20) 1-0 1,506</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 3. Ohio State (15) 1-0 1,497</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 4. Oklahoma (2) 1-0 1,432</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 5. Florida (5) 1-0 1,415</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 6. Missouri (1) 1-0 1,301</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 7. LSU (1) 1-0 1,207</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 8. West Virginia 1-0 1,108</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 9. Auburn 1-0 1,033</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>10. Texas 1-0 1,028</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>11. Wisconsin 1-0 849</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>12. Texas Tech 1-0 842</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>13. Alabama 1-0 834</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>14. Kansas 1-0 748</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>15. Arizona State 1-0 672</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>15. Brigham Young 1-0 672</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>17. South Florida 1-0 588</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>18. Oregon 1-0 508</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>19. Penn State 1-0 467</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>20. Wake Forest 1-0 414</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>21. Fresno State 1-0 242</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>22. Utah 1-0 214</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>23. UCLA 1-0 151</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>24. Illinois 0-1 147</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>24. South Carolina 1-0 147</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>Others Receiving Votes
Clemson 143, East Carolina 108, California 91, Boston College 36, Florida State 36, Cincinnati 35, Tennessee 30, Boise State 19, Bowling Green 17, Virginia Tech 14, Connecticut 9, Rutgers 6, Kentucky 5, Nebraska 4, Oklahoma State 3, Arizona 2, TCU 2, Tulsa 1, North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 1, Miami (FL) 1. Dropped From Rankings
Clemson 9, Virginia Tech 17, Tennessee 18, Pittsburgh 25.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<TABLE class=tablehead cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD>USA Today' Poll</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow><TD> 1. USC (23) 1-0 1,462</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 2. Georgia (20) 1-0 1,442</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 3. Ohio State (10) 1-0 1,385</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 4. Oklahoma (2) 1-0 1,344</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 5. Florida (3) 1-0 1,295</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 6. LSU (3) 1-0 1,202</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 7. Missouri 1-0 1,197</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD> 8. West Virginia 1-0 1,035</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD> 9. Texas 1-0 1,030</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>10. Auburn 1-0 962</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>11. Wisconsin 1-0 853</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>12. Kansas 1-0 820</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>13. Texas Tech 1-0 732</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>14. Arizona State 1-0 679</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>15. Brigham Young 1-0 629</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>16. Oregon 1-0 566</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>17. Alabama 1-0 538</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>18. South Florida 1-0 480</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>19. Penn State 1-0 450</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>20. Wake Forest 1-0 388</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>21. Fresno State 1-0 269</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>22. Clemson 0-1 186</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>23. Utah 1-0 158</TD><TR class=evenrow><TD>24. South Carolina 1-0 134</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>25. Illinois 0-1 92</TD><TR class=oddrow><TD>Others Receiving Votes
UCLA 91, California 79, East Carolina 56, Tennessee 56, Boston College 36, Florida State 29, Virginia Tech 25, Boise State 24, Kentucky 20, TCU 15, Connecticut 13, Cincinnati 13, Nebraska 12, Arizona 8, Oklahoma State 5, Notre Dame 4, Colorado 3, Georgia Tech 2, Bowling Green 2, Miami (FL) 1, Stanford 1, Tulsa 1, UCF 1. Dropped From Rankings
Virginia Tech 15, Tennessee 18, Michigan 24.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 

Professional At All Times
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Didn't they used to wait at least a couple weeks before putting out these polls?

The BCS poll is released further into the season but the AP and USA start with their preseason poll.
 

powdered milkman
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USC 1 is ok...FLA is the real numero uno though..we all know it
 

Triple digit silver kook
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Whats funny is that this years Virginia team would probably lose a game vs. Georgia Southern.
 

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I guess the key is to schedule a BCS conference that doesn't have a chance in winning 4 games even if they were given the point spread on the scoreboard.

Not saying that USC is not #1, but to have them jump UGA at this point is a joke.
 

I'll be in the Bar..With my head on the Bar
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Whats funny is that this years Virginia team would probably lose a game vs. Georgia Southern.

Which is true of every game USC plays like this...the damn reporter acts like Virginia was in the Orange Bowl or something IN THE LAST FUCKING DECADE!!!!!!!!!!!!

PUSSY USC wont play nobody, the media will hype em like the hula hoop and and in the end USC will claim the championship if they have 7 losses just like they do every frickin year........

FUSC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

OTK

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USC deserves it and should have been #1 heading into the season. It should have been LSU, USC or OSU. LSU is of coarse not near the best team IMO, but you can always make a case for putting the defending champs at #1 to begin the season. OSU and USC have the two most talented teams though and should be #1 and #2 until they meet each other week 3.

UCLA being ranked is a joke though. I was on them and kept saying their defense is very good, but this is not a top 25 team unless it's the weakest field of all time. This is an average team at best. It just so happens they played an average at best team in week 1 that happened to be ranked for some strange reason. UCLA will lose 4-5 games this year. Also, how can Illinois be ranked when they are 0-1 and lost by 10 points? So far this season they have not won a game, so I don't understand how they can be ranked.
 
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Talk to me in 3 months. Until then, these stupid ratings don't mean shit.
 

I'm all about low expectations
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Also, how can Illinois be ranked when they are 0-1 and lost by 10 points? So far this season they have not won a game, so I don't understand how they can be ranked.


not an illini fan, but using this logic if usc-osu played the first week and one of them lost by a couple of td's they should be out of the top 25? illinois lost too a top ten team in the country, no shame in that, and doesn't mean they aren't one of the best 25 teams in the country.
 

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