College Football Rankings: USC Could Fall Out Of AP Top 25 After Lackluster Win

The USC Trojans were ranked No. 25 in the preseason Associated Press college football poll, then began their 2011 season with an unimpressive 19-17 home win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. With only a few top 25 teams losing in Week 1, and several teams ranked just below the Trojans garnering impressive opening wins, USC's hold on a top 25 spot seems tenuous at best.

Only four AP top 25 teams lost in Week 1:

• No. 3 Oregon lost on the road 40-27 to No. 4 LSU. The Ducks don't figure to drop too far, at least enough to affect the Trojans.
• No. 14 TCU lost on the road 50-48 to Baylor
• No. 16 Notre Dame lost at home 23-20 to South Florida
• No. 19 Georgia lost at home 35-21 to No. 5 Boise State

Notre Dame and TCU might drop below USC, while Georgia lost to a higher-ranked team, albeit at home. But we also must consider the teams just below USC, in the "others receiving votes section."

• No. 26 Texas beat Rice at home, 34-9
• No. 27 Penn St. beat Indiana St at home, 41-7
• No. 28 Arizona St. beat UC Davis at home, 48-14
• No. 29 Miami (FL) hasn't yet played. They play at Maryland Monday night on Labor Day
• No. 30 Utah beat Montana St. at home, 27-10

Given the results on Saturday, USC could end up in the next AP poll anywhere from the mid 20s to the 30s, and that's if their lackluster two-point home win is deemed worthy enough to receive votes by enough voters. No matter where they are ranked in the next poll, USC has a chance to improve its standing as early as next week, as they host the Utah Utes in their first Pac-12 conference game of the year.

For more USC football news and notes, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.