USC football can’t crack the USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll, which was released on Sunday.
Entering the 2025 college football season, USC was unranked in the August USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll for the first time since 2019. Despite two blowout victories to start their campaign, that remains the case as the Trojans were once again unranked in the latest poll after Week 2.
The Trojans did receiver 87 votes in the poll, more than double what they earned last week. However, it is still fewer than the 116 votes that they received in the preseason poll, despite winning their first two games of the season by a combined 99 points.
The message that voters have sent to USC is quite clear: beating up on low-level Group of Five teams isn’t going to impress them. If the Trojans want to earn a spot in the top 25, they will have to do so by beating quality opponents.
USC’s level of competition will get tougher next week, when the Trojans visit Purdue in their Big Ten opener. However, it will not be until the trip to Illinois in Week 5 that USC will have the opportunity to earn a victory that would truly impress voters.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll has USC football still unranked
