#45 USC
3-2 in Big Ten play, 7th in the Big Ten
Down 36 spots (#9 to #45) after a road loss at #74 Wisconsin (7-24). An upset: USC entered with 84.0 TDR points to Wisconsin's 52.4. Now 6-2. AP: #16 to unranked. TDR score -22.4: win/loss record -5.9, road-win bonus -0.9.
2026 season recap (through week 8)
USC (Big Ten) is ranked 45th in The Davis Rankings after week 8 of 2026, with a record of 6-2 and a score of 61.6 out of 100. That is down 36 from week 7. That puts it in the Feeling Good tier (ranks 26-50). Its strongest factor is win/loss record (75.0 out of 100). Its weakest is recent results (0.0 out of 100).
The best win by current ranking came in week 5, 25-21 over #60 Washington at home. The toughest result to explain is the week 4 loss, 41-27 to #86 Oregon at home.
On the road it is 2-1. The average margin is +7.8 points per game, with a biggest win of 39 points. 2 of 8 games were decided by a touchdown or less.
USC is 25th in the Coaches poll (20 spots higher than the Davis Rankings).
Next up is #4 Ohio State in week 9, at home. The toughest game left on the schedule by current rank is week 13 against #1 UCLA. 3 of the 4 games left are against teams currently in the top 25.
Schedule
| Week | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | San José State (home) | W 42-26 |
| 1 | Fresno State (home) | W 39-0 |
| 2 | Louisiana (home) | W 49-30 |
| 3 | Rutgers (away, conference game) | W 42-35 |
| 4 | Oregon (home, conference game) | L 27-41 |
| 5 | Washington (home, conference game) | W 25-21 |
| 6 | Penn State (away, conference game) | W 31-23 |
| 8 | Wisconsin (away, conference game) | L 7-24 |
Upcoming games
| Week | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ohio State (home, conference game) | (NBC) |
| 11 | Indiana (away, conference game) | Sat Nov 14, time TBD |
| 12 | Maryland (home, conference game) | Sat Nov 21, time TBD |
| 13 | UCLA (away, conference game) | Sat Nov 28, time TBD |
Ranking history 2026
Now #45, Feeling Good (week 8). Best #9 (week 7). Lowest #53 (week 4). Higher on the chart is a better rank. The shaded bands are rank tiers, with each tier's sticker at its left. A poll is a top 25, so its line breaks in the weeks the team is not in it. The poll lines are drawn a little apart so equal ranks do not hide each other: point at a week for the exact ranks.
Week 8 TDR #45 (61.6, 6-2) Feeling Good AP NR Coaches #25
Week 1 TDR #11 (92.2, 2-0) AP #14 Coaches #14
Week 2 TDR #19 (93.7, 3-0) AP #12 Coaches #11
Week 3 TDR #10 (93.5, 4-0) Winning AP #12 Coaches #12
Week 4 TDR #53 (64.7, 4-1) Character Building AP #18 Coaches #18
Week 5 TDR #16 (82.2, 5-1) Winning AP #19 Coaches #17
Week 6 TDR #10 (83.9, 6-1) Winning AP #19 Coaches #15
Week 7 TDR #9 (84.0, 6-1) Winning AP #16 Coaches #15
Week 8 TDR #45 (61.6, 6-2) Feeling Good AP NR Coaches #25
Week by week
| Week | TDR | Score | Record | Tier | AP | Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #11 | 92.2 | 2-0 | - | #14 | #14 |
| 2 | #19 | 93.7 | 3-0 | - | #12 | #11 |
| 3 | #10 | 93.5 | 4-0 | Winning | #12 | #12 |
| 4 | #53 | 64.7 | 4-1 | Character Building | #18 | #18 |
| 5 | #16 | 82.2 | 5-1 | Winning | #19 | #17 |
| 6 | #10 | 83.9 | 6-1 | Winning | #19 | #15 |
| 7 | #9 | 84.0 | 6-1 | Winning | #16 | #15 |
| 8 | #45 | 61.6 | 6-2 | Feeling Good | NR | #25 |
Score breakdown
Each factor is scored 0–100, then weighted into the composite score. Full methodology & weights
| Factor | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|
| win/loss record | 75.0 |
| recent results | 0.0 |
| road-win bonus | 72.9 |
| opponent record at game time | 61.3 |
| opponent record today | 64.2 |
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