USC Trojans Shown No Respect by Playoff Committee, Check in at 20

The USC Trojans have been performing before a national audience in recent weeks. Too bad it did not count for much when the 73rd edition of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings were announced Tuesday evening.

The 7-2 Men of Troy checked in Tuesday night ranked No. 20 in the College Football Playoff Standings. The Top 11 teams, plus the top Group of Six teams which is currently Boise State.

The Trojans showed they can win on the road with a convincing win over Penn State in State College in the Nittany Lions' annual White Out game before an estimated 114,000 fans..

After a setback in Wisconsin, the Trojans came back and defeated the then-No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. In doing so, they shut down Heisman hopeful Jeremiah Smith.

Notwithstanding OSU's loss to the Trojans, they were ranked 12th in the poll. Both teams have two losses and USC wins in head-to-head competition.

There are other two-loss teams that are far ahead of USC in the ranking. Alabama, who does not have a signature win this season, is ranked fifth at 6-2. Their record is identical to USC.

A two-loss Texas team is at No. 7 despite having two horrendous losses to Oklahoma and Florida. Ole Miss rounds out the Top 10 and they have a 6-2 record.

When teams have comparable records, the following standards, or principles as the committee calls them, are followed.

First, the strength of schedule is taken into consideration. With USC and Ohio State both being in the Big Ten, the teams have a comparable schedule. USC still has two scheduled opponents that can make them leap over many ears, including OSU.

USC can make a splash in the rankings by winning at defending national champion, Indiana, who is ranked fourth in the CFP poll. They will also face UCLA, who checks in at No. 8 and is undefeated at 8-0. A Trojan victory would do wonders for their accumulating votes in the final regular season poll.

Next, the committee is supposed to give additional consideration for head-to-head results. The committee showed no deference to the Trojans who have the same amount of losses as the Buckeyes, plus a victory on the field.

The committee then looks to results against common opponents. OSU defeated Indiana and Trojans will face them in several weeks. 

Finally, the Buckeyes get the nod when it comes to other relevant factors, such as injuries to key players. The Buckeyes lost their starting quarterback in the win at Indiana as Julian Sayin went out with an injured shoulder. 

The committee will meet next Monday and Tuesday and their findings will be released next Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN.