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2023 Preseason USC Trojans Rankings

Main Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason
DylanCarlson3	3
Helifino	3
Megalomanizac	3
SlaminSammons	3
SpadeRyker	3
w8w8	3
52hoova	4
_fastball	4
AllHawkeyesGoToHell	4
Bank_Gothic	4
Branzilla91	4
coletheredditer	4	A national title contender if they stop blowing 2 score leads, something that’s been said across Lincoln Riley’s entire career .
Corgi_Koala	4	Caleb Williams and a manageable schedule. This is USC's year to make the playoffs and contend for a title if they ever had one.
EpicSchwinn	4	Caleb. Williams.
Feral_Squirrel	4
fredmerc111	4	The Trojans have QB1 on their roster. Hard to count anyone out with a potential #1 draft pick calling them signals.
HUSKEROYAL	4
icklebush	4
Nathanael-Greene	4
outthawazoo	4
placid_salad	4
RegionalBias	4
sasmith2015	4
SkiFlashing	4
Staind075	4
ThaCarter	4
ToeInDigDeep	4
ya111101	4
admiraltarkin	5
AlphaH4wk	5
BamaPride95	5
BosskOnASegway	5
Ch-i-ef	5
CharlemagneOfTheUSA	5
ChaseTheFalcon	5
cyberchaox	5
dan4223	5
DarkLegend64	5
ewolfy13	5
fourpinz8	5
halldaylong	5
HarbingerOfFun	5
HHcougar	5	Caleb Williams is really that dude
I_am_bot_beep_boop	5
IceColdDrPepper_Here	5
jrluhn	5
lillipup03	5
MoneyManeVick	5
nburt13	5
ndbroski	5
one98d	5
PHubbs	5
Pikachu1989	5
plannedsickdays	5
RegulatorRWF	5
RollWarTideEagle	5
Ruhrgebietheld	5
seaotter2	5
T-Thugs	5
tdeff19	5
texas2089	5
thexraptor	5
WarEagle9	5
Zloggt	5	Drinking the Riley RiteAid - will I regret it? Will I not? Up to them to tell me...
Archaic_1	6
ChargerFan2121	6
CockADoodleBOOM	6
dogwoodmaple	6
Drexlore	6
galacticdude7	6
grjohnst	6
Hackasizlak	6
Jakesnake42	6
Joester09	6
Johnnycockseed	6
JohnWickStuntDouble	6
kamiller2020	6	Returning the Heisman trophy winner is always a major plus, and Caleb Williams is as dynamic as any player USC has ever had not named Reggie Bush. Especially when the WR room should be even better than it was last year, with Dorian Singer replacing a banged-up Jordan Addison and Zachriah Branch drawing rave reviews from camp. They also return 3 starters at WR, all of who should play in the NFL in some capacity. Losing Travis Dye is tough but MarShawn Lloyd should hopefully replace some of his toughness and talent. You also have Raleek Brown in the backfield as well, which should help the offensive line mesh as they only return two starters. The defense was a nightmare last year, but I'm one of the few people on earth who believe in Alex Grinch. And mostly I believe in the shit ton of transfers they brought in on defense. Bear Alexander is the headliner, but Jahlil Muhammad and Solomon Byrd are just a few of the players USC is going to use this year up front that hopefully should give them a presence in the middle. The big thing though was Mason Cobb transferring in from Oklahoma State, which should be a major improvement as the USC linebackers couldn't tackle to save a life. That LB core needs to make major strides in order for the Trojans to succeed, as does the secondary though they return 3 starters. If USC's defense is even below average this is could be a playoff team. If the defense is good than USC becomes the favorite to hoist up the trophy in Houston.
kdcoltred	6
kflinderman	6
MahjongDaily	6
molodyets	6
nemoran	6
NyquillusDillwad20	6	Returning a lot of talent, including the Heisman Trophy winner. They certainly showed some weaknesses last year at times, but the Pac-? is theirs to lose in their final season in the conference.
Our-Gardian-Angel	6
peachios	6	idk I just trust in Caleb, the defense has to be at least good tho to stay this high and not let Utah usurp them
practicallybert	6
Rakarei	6
RavenclawWiz816	6
retnuh101	6
RheagarTargaryen	6
roaddogg	6
scronko	6
Sometimeswelose	6
tauzeta	6
TaylorLeprechaun	6
The_Good_Constable	6
UNC_Samurai	6
vanburen1845	6
ALStark69	7	+12
arrowfan624	7
bannista7	7
captain_sasquatch	7
chweris	7
corundum9	7
Daigotsu	7
darkra01	7
DFWSFO	7
GoBlueScrewOSU7	7
hascogrande	7
jjjoebox	7
malowry0124	7
monkeymatt1836	7
Pollaski	7
PumpSmash	7
Pure_Protein_Machine	7
ReallyCreative	7
skuhlke	7
SteemieRayVaughn	7
TDenverFan	7
Texasagsman	7
the_neverdoctor	7
tmothy07	7
TouchdownHeroes	7
12panther	8
Arteza147	8
bretticus33	8	USC has all the talent in the world on offense with the best returning player and defending Heisman winner Caleb Williams returning for likely his last college season. 2022 was mostly a success under Lincoln Riley in his first season, but the ending spoiled it and showed the weaknesses in USC, mainly their defense. Riley opted against firing DC Alex Grinch, but Riley also has yet to field a championship level defense and it cost USC the PAC-12 championship and the Cotton Bowl in embarrassing fashion. It shouldn’t be a surprise if USC starts off 6-0 because their schedule is backloaded, so USC will have the opportunity to shoot up the rankings or plummet.
BRNXB0MBERS	8
COLU_BUS	8
cornholesurfer	8
DrKennethJNoisewater	8
Due_Connection179	8	Caleb Williams is amazing, the defense not so much. I believe they have the offense to win every game, but defenses win championships.
ExternalTangents	8
Hugefootballfan44	8
jthomas694	8
Lex_Ludorum	8
Mr_Brews	8
pileatedloon	8
PromEmperorHarbaugh	8
Red261	8
tallg8tor	8
tdoger	8
VerySeriousBanana	8
woakley	8	Recruiting Rank #22 Poll Rank #10 Production Rank #5 Overall Weighted Number 13.05 I actually think USC would be higher if I weighted recruiting differently or accounted for transfers differently, but this is where they end up. Similar to Georgia wouldn't be surprised to see them higher at the end of the day.
Xtremeloco	8
AlexanderComet	9
BearsAreGreat1	9
Blazeth	9
Casaiir	9
CFBHurts	9
D1N2Y	9
eclectic_tastes	9
JeromesNiece	9
Meany_Vizzini	9	18.3
noahthearc	9
nw____	9	Could see them finish in the playoff or wind up in the Bad Boy Mowers Bowl (ok not that bad). Just too many questions about the defense to have them higher but they have the best player in the country playing QB
RiffRamBahZoo	9
shadowwingnut	9
studio_sally	9
311polo	10
Acm0028	10
aggiebruin27	10
Blooblod	10
CommodoreN7	10
DaewooLanosMFerrr	10
GilBrandt	10
Hey_Its_Roomie	10	Pac-12 Runner-Up
Hobbes_121	10
magnumweiner	10
Muffinnnnnnn	10
rain_parkour	10
Terminal_BAS	10
TimeBroken	10
typicaliconoclast	10
A_Rolling_Baneling	11
crownebeach	11	I don't think Alex Grinch is a bad defensive coordinator. He transformed a bad Washington State defense into an above average one, and some of the things he does on defense (exaggerated line shifts, undersized interior linemen built for speed) have become punchlines only because they worked so well that teams had to gameplan around neutralizing them. But he's not transformative anymore, and I think that Lincoln Riley philosophically just does not like defense or support his defensive staff. It's like the reverse of what late-stage Dantonio was at Michigan State; he doesn't want to give a defense any clues on how to stop his own offense, or something. Here's my hot take: Lincoln Riley will never win a national championship.
falconlover79	11
hendarvich	11
Longvols	11
physedka	11
romulusjsp	11
sirgippy	11
washington_jefferson	11
BigBoutros	12
goblue10	12
joebob431	12
nbingham196	12
wameron	12
70stang	13
CptCheese	13
djowen68	13
Striker743	13	14
AudiieVerbum	14
BallSoHerd	14
BUSean	14
bwburke94	14
CambodianDrywall	14
DataDrivenPirate	14
justsaynotoreddit	14	0.7355
MADBuc49	14
Ticklebump	14
ucieaters33	14
Dropbackandpunt	15
Maladroit44	15
fo13	16
GeauxTri	16
oghawks18	16	I like Lincoln Riley and where the team is headed but the schedule is just brutal. Probably a top 10 team but they could lose a few late season games
ikindalikelemons	17	This is sure to be low compared to where other people have the Trojans, and I get it. Caleb Williams is a Heisman winner, slam dunk #1 pick, and thrower of footballs for this team. That alone is worth a lot. Lincoln Riley's offense will be high-flying. Kliff Kingsbury coming in only helps that. My issue is on the other side of the ball. Yes, they brought in some very high profile transfers, UGA's own Bear Alexander chief among them. But good players can only hide so much, and Alex Grinch's defensive philosophy just has never lived up to his billing. Until proven otherwise, I am massively skeptical of the USC defense.
T-nawtical	18
NotSoSuperNerd	21	2.20
owlalwaysloveyew	22

Provisional Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason
MajikSix	1
Noelthemexican	1
TinderForMidgets	2	The Trojans are arguably the best quarterback in all of college football. They just need to have a defense. Given Lincoln Riley's track record with defense that remains to be seen. However, the Trojans get still put up a ton of points - enough to launch themselves into the college football playoffs.
AeolusA2	3
BoukenGreen	3
donald_flap	3	returning qb and most of offense
FrolfAholic	3	I'm not going to lie, I was very skeptical of them during the first half of the year. They still have some improvements needed to be national champion level but I am going to give them the benefit of last year and put them up high to start and adjust as needed
mathmanhale	3
maxwell6233	3
Piptit	3
TheFalconGuy	3
URhyno	3
ViewFrom209	3
ActuallyJasonPrice	4
alwaysveryconflicted	4
CarnellWilliams	4
charmingcharles2896	4	Caleb Williams & Lincoln Riley... nuff said.
chillmagic420	4
divey043	4
Fantastic-Calendar-9	4
GreenAndYellow12	4	Returning Heisman and adding Kliff Kingsbury should be able to bump USC up to a playoff team which I think is a must for USC this year assuming Caleb WIlliams is gone by next year.
ianmcmoney	4
KrispyKangaroo96	4
KyleAg06	4
Maize_n_Boom	4
mthompson2320	4
MyCatsNameIsMilton	4
Somali-Pirate-Lvl100	4
TheGred03	4
thejawa	4
TheSlyPudding	4
titansfan174	4
Bandos_Bear	5
big_thunder_man	5
cfbpeoplespoll	5
ch1l1_ch33s3	5
Consistent_Train128	5
diehardcubforever	5
dterp13	5
GarethSchilly	5	Best player in the nation with a couple big recruits coming in. Don't think they will end up top 5, but can't deny them at this point
GeyWeyner12	5
good4steve	5
jaybigs	5
JoeFreshwata	5
Keveroni	5
Loopylime	5
maknasty09	5
MemeofMemeJTG999999	5	Next Weeks: vs San José State, vs Nevada
Murphanian	5
newSomberMan	5
Pylon-Cam	5
Pyroblockx	5
qwer546	5
Sflabuckeye13	5
spaceblev11	5	Pac-12's last hope. Wanted to get some love for USC, hopefully see Caleb Williams win another Heisman.
spmartin1993	5
Starwarsewok	5
StateOfTheArt-	5
StumpVanDerHuge	5
SundownSaloon	5	Love to hate the Trojans, but this should be a year for silverware for them.
TheBeekman8	5
thehornedlamb	5
UVUboi2	5
10catsinspace	6
AnAngryPanda1	6
ard8	6
attax	6
bigmac_3	6
Butternades	6
Chipsahoy523	6
ClandestineFox	6
Doogitywoogity	6
DownshiftGD	6
drneilpretenamen	6
ETHTrillionaire	6
evil_muffins_5436	6
FigletPiglet	6	1.929
Jadenflo	6
Jay682002	6
JetoGrov	6	Speaking of weird vibes. For most of the summer I was projecting (in my head lol) USC to make the playoffs. But with the destruction of the PAC-12, I just can't get over the Old Gods of Sport being displeased (for the love of money is the root of all evil). They probably still go 10-2 and win the PAC, but the mojo for anything more is way way off.
judolphin	6
just-regular-I-guess	6
JustinMSU21	6
Kodak6lack	6
ManiacalBlazer	6
mcdsmaster8824	6
Ok_Elderberry7070	6
redrumsoxLoL	6
saquad69	6
siggyrambler	6
tapswitch	6
Thehomelessguy11	6
TheThirdViceroy	6
tms42206	6
TommyTwoTaps	6
True_Ad5324	6	Caleb will have to beat utah
UnkelEarl	6
usernamegoeshere763	6
Xy13	6
yousmelllikebiscuits	6
Zzyzx8	6
ballstar03	7
BananaBouquet	7
Blyvzy	7
bread_bird	7
brucewaynewins	7
bthombeast	7
ColombianInIowa24	7
Dan20698	7
demolisty24	7
entropy888	7
FloridaBoy317	7
Greyson04	7
ItsFreakinHarry2	7
J4ckiebrown	7
JBonkies	7
mcguffinman	7
mubert	7
MuhMuhManRay	7
OldCoaly	7
patriots230	7
ProudlyUnflaired	7
ReadySetMeow	7
ScaratheBear	7	Oh, Lincoln Riley. CFB's biggest and best mercenary. He is arguably CFBs best offensive mastermind, and he brings with him the reigning Heisman winner and probable 1st overall pick Caleb Williams. Regardless of who's playing on that side of the ball, I wouldn't worry. It'll be a dominant force. All USC needs is a defense. Any kind of defense. Even a marginal improvement over last years D means that USC is sliding right into the playoff picture. We'll see the Trojans in action against this Saturday against SJSU.
Scott72901	7
tcomn	7
thatoneguyD13	7
TheNSAAgent777	7
Underground_Bread	7
ziggysaysnada	7
70277027	8
bethe2ndmouse	8
cmcabrera	8
colton_97	8
journey1986	8
losbullitt	8
manbeardawg	8
mill1634	8
Mini-Mussolini	8
narwhalz27	8
ogpeplowski64	8
PAWGAllenFieldhouse	8
PerfectZeroKnowledge	8
sconbon	8
seantgs	8
SIMBONEGTP	8
SpursUpSoundsGudToMe	8	They have a dream QB/Coach combination, but think they lack the beef on the line to run with the big boys.
Tylex123	8
Witness_Gritness	8
59brad	9
BertGallagher	9
corona779	9
mithrandir2398	9
OG_Felwinter	9
OSU_Shecter	9
Protoco2	9
PSUMediaPA	9
TadKosciuszko	9
throwaway_6786	9	USC beat every team they played not named Utah going into selection Sunday last year. The Trojans still have Lincoln Riley running a lethal offense with ultradynamic QB Caleb Williams leading the charge. The only reason they're not higher is that their defense is still a major problem for them until they can prove otherwise.
Tornadohunter24	9
twr96	9
Actual_Yellow8728	10
Bereft13	10
DeerPrison	10
HideNZeke	10
PNW_Jeff	10
RootBeerBloat	10
squibby	10
StannisGrammarMannis	10
stew_pac	10
tunaduck	10
camus69x	11
DoAsRomansDo	11
donbagert	11	The school that is most responsible for the Pac-12's (possible) demise has something to prove.
FourteenClocks	11	How the Grinch Stole Playoff. Lincoln Riley's pedigree as a head coach is indisputable, at least until New Year's Eve, but last year's downfall at the big moment was hilariously predictable. Many pieces remain in place, including the Heisman House tenant, to improve upon what was (very impressively) cobbled together last year. This will be their last year as THE big name in their conference, so it's time to put up or get a new defensive coordinator--by the name of Horton, Lorax, or One Chip Two Chip Red Chip Blue Chip.
frone	11
grtgbln	11
IAmJohnnyJB	11
IT_JUST_MEANS_JORT	11
jibberishdhyukl	11	Best talent in the PAC-12, but finished poorly last season
kevinsdomain	11
lowcontrol	11
ndbfsu22	11
Player_1_has_Joined	11
RadiationRichard	11
rgalexan	11
Dawg-Bite	12
Harpua99	12
leadbymight	12
mikecsiy	12
TheRedKing75	12
IDropFatLogs	13	Lost last two games against decent opponents.
bloodmuffins793	14
Dontworryaboutit1	14
samuelbassett	14
stoeseri000	14
Totes_Not_an_NSA_guy	14
twitter_paulbd	14	[7x]
Weekly_Flatworm5707	14
AlphaMemory2	15
boomersooner222	15
Devintheroaster	15
PlactusTX	15
RealignmentJunkie	15
bbshock21	16
notsmartprivate	16
Spacesurfer6	20

Blue = Human
Red = Computer
Green = Hybrid

Bold = before the AP poll was published
Normal = after the AP poll was published

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