USC made big head way in their emergence from huge NCAA sanctions that has plagued the team the past few seasons.
Saturday morning the Associated Press released their preseason top 25 and low and behold the Trojans topped the list ahead of SEC schools in Alabama (No. 2) and LSU (No. 3).
USC received 25 of a possible 60 first place votes from a media panel in what turned out to be a very close vote. Defending National Champs Alabama received 17 first place votes while LSU received 16.
LSU was primed to take the top spot however it’s very possible that they lost some votes ever since the dismissal of corner back Tyrann Mathieu last week.
Oklahoma came in at No. 4 with a single first place vote while Oregon rounded out the top five. Michigan who ended up at No. 8 also received a first place vote.
The full preseason AP Top 25
1. USC (25) 1,445 points
2. Alabama (17) 1,411 points
3. LSU (16) 1,402 points
4. Oklahoma (1) 1,286 points
5. Oregon 1,274 points
6. Georgia 1,107 points
7. Florida State 1,093 points
8. Michigan (1) 1,000 points
9. South Carolina 994 points
10. Arkansas 963 points
11. West Virginia 856 points
12. Wisconsin 838 points
13. Michigan State 742 points
14. Clemson 615 points
15. Texas 569 points
16. Virginia Tech 548 points
17. Nebraska 485 poitns
18. Ohio State 474 points
19. Oklahoma STate 430 points
20. TCU 397 points
21. Stanford 383 points
22. Kansas State 300 points
23. Florida 214 points
24. Boise State 212 points
25. Louisville 105 points
Ref: Associated Press