2012 BCS rankings: USC ranked No. 9 in second week

The USC Trojans head into the second week of the 2012 BCS rankings at No. 9 behind the Oregon Ducks, who are ranked fourth.

The Nov. 3 Pac-12 showdown vs. the Ducks at the L.A. Coliseum will have major BCS implications. First, if Oregon defeats USC, they could have a clear path to Miami for the national championship game should they win out. If that scenario plays out, they could be set for a rematch against the Ducks in the Pac-12 title game.

The Trojans (6-1) may have the opportunity to play spoiler at that point, but if USC wins out, they'll be among the teams talked about having some title hopes of their own. Their most difficult games in addition to the one vs. Oregon are against Arizona State and Notre Dame, but the Trojans will be at home, where they have a 3-0 record in 2012, for both contests.

What do the Trojan faithful have to say about their beloved team's position in the rankings? Some folks over at SB Nation's own Conquest Chronicles are talking conspiracy theory, and are clearly not happy with the way things have shaped out early on:

"I believe it is a Trojan horse that provides the BCS Godfathers with plausible deniability in creating order out of chaos so they can plug the teams in there that create the highest ratings for the media and mulitinationals."

Though the outlook is not as positive as Oregon's, the Trojans do have a lot to say about where they end up when it's all said in done. There's plenty of football left to play.