The USC Trojans are ineligible for postseason play and the BCS standings this year, but they still made their presence known. With a 38-35 victory Saturday night at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, the Trojans dashed any faint hopes the Oregon Ducks had for a berth in the BCS Championship Game. Oregon is expected to drop when the BCS rankings are released Sunday night.
The Ducks are still in line for a Rose Bowl berth, needing home wins over Oregon State and against the Pac-12 South Division winner on December 2. But Oregon could have been as high as No. 3 this week, with hopes of an Auburn upset over Alabama to pave their way to a second straight BCS title game.
"Call it Empire Strikes Back, with a sword on a white horse. USC can't play in the postseason, so it made sure nobody else is going to have that much fun, either," Chi noted.
For more USC Trojans football news and notes, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.
Virginia Tech and Stanford benefitted the most this week from losses from Oklahoma State, Oregon, and Oklahoma, vaulting up to No. 4 and No. 5 respectfully in the poll. Still, the Hokies are more than 100 points behind Arkansas, and aren't necessarily considered national title contenders as the top three have pulled away so far form the rest of the field, leaving Stanford's chances at a title ever more of a pipe dream.
Oklahoma State's loss to Iowa State dropped them from No. 2 to No. 6, while Houston, Boise State, Oregon, and Michigan State round out the top 10. Oklahoma fell from No. 5 to No. 11, Clemson fell from No. 8 to No. 17, while Baylor and Virginia jumped back into the top 25 at No. 23 and 25 respectfully.
Here's the full USA Today coaches poll top 25 for Week 13:
