Trojans’ preseason ranking is on target

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, June 09, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

USC Trojans
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There’s this grid on the Internet, specifically at www.lsufootball.net, which displays each college football team's preseason rankings for 2008 by various media outlets. At that Web site, you’ll find a variety of rankings, including an average ranking for a specific team.

Currently, USC sports an average national rank of No. 3 across 13 major pundit houses, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Athlon and more. CSTV and Rivals gave the Trojans the top spot, while CollegeFootballNews (Scout) and Southern Pigskin awarded the team the lowest rank, an embarrassing No. 5.

However, some wonder why coach Pete Carroll’s team isn’t given the top spot by more newspapers and magazines. After all, Georgia trashed what ended up being an overrated Hawaii team in the Sugar Bowl and Ohio State got blasted again by the SEC for the second consecutive time in the BCS title game. Furthermore, Oklahoma -- which is just behind USC in the average rankings -- got decimated by West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl and has a penchant for coughing up BCS bowl games.

Perhaps it was that USC ripped Big Ten runner-up Illinois, a team that proved it wasn’t ready for a big stage yet, in the Rose Bowl. Of course, maybe it's because the Trojans lost a ton of talent to the NFL draft (seven of Carroll’s players were selected in the first two rounds). As most people know, though, USC doesn’t rebuild as much as it reloads, which is likely the reason behind the high ranking.

Being in the top five puts a BCS title well within reach without putting as big a bull’s-eye on USC’s back. There will be a bull’s-eye, though; just ask the rest of the Pac-10.

In the end, regardless of the rankings or where USC will start the season, you can bet an undefeated Trojan team will play in the BCS title game. Even a one-loss USC team would probably get the nod; it just depends on whom the Trojans lose to.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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