USC will enter Saturday’s rivalry game with UCLA as a ranked team. The Trojans were ranked No. 23 in the College Football Playoff polls for the first time this season.
The selection committee are the only ones who have the Trojans ranked in their polls. They received 6 votes in the AP Top 25 polls and 3 votes in the Coaches Poll, but neither had USC ranked. When you consider that, the ranking is unexpected. However, you won’t see the Trojans complaining about it at all.
There could be numerous reasons why the committee view USC differently than everyone else.