Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws a pass against the LSU Tigers during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. stephen r. sylvanie-usa today sports

College Football Rankings: USC Trojans Skyrocket in AP Poll Top 25

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Charlie Viehl | Last updated Sep 3, 2024 2:05 PM ET

The No. 23 USC Trojans defeated the No. 13 LSU Tigers in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic, and the Trojans skyrocketed from No. 23 to No. 13 in the AP Poll for week two of the 2024 college football season.

The only college football game played on Sept. 1, the ESPN broadcast of the Trojans’ victory peaked at 11.1 million viewers. With that many eyes on USC coach Lincoln Riley and the upset over the Tigers, the Trojans are trending up.

“I think it’s an exciting game when you get a stage like that, which is rare in college football. You got one day, there’s no NFL games. There’s not much else going on, right? This was kind of our day here on one of the biggest stages, ” said Riley after the win.

Besides LSU, three teams ranked above USC failed to win in Week 1: No. 10 Florida State lost their second game of the season to Boston College, No. 14 Clemson lost to No. 3 Georgia by 31 points, and No. 20 Texas A&M fell to No. 7 Notre Dame.

The Trojans are one of the few teams in the country with a ranked win. Additionally, both USC and Georgia beat their opponents on a neutral site, while Notre Dame won on the road.

Here is the AP Poll's Top 25 this week: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Oregon, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Missouri, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 Utah, No. 12 Miami, No.13 USC, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 16 Oklahoma State, No. 17 Kansas State, No 18 LSU, No. 19 Kansas, No. 20 Arizona, No. 21 Iowa, No. 22 Louisville, No. 23 Georgia Tech, No. 24 North Carolina State, No. 25 Clemson.

If the win over LSU begins a string of wins for Riley and this year's USC team, the Trojans will climb their way up the rankings week by week.

The Trojans entered the 2024 season ranked No. 23. Still ranked in the top-25, the lower ranking could be explained by concerns over replacing Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn was hired by Riley this offseason, and some doubts remained regarding the Trojans' defense.

However, the Trojans defense only let up 20 points to LSU with pivotal stops on third and fourth down throughout the game. USC quarterback Miller Moss completed 75 percent of his passes for 378 yards, building off his exciting performance in the 2023 Holiday Bowl.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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